Lock Down at the Lab
by Diko
Summary: Snake Bite Series 1:Brennan, Booth and the squints get locked in the lab and have to solve the murder of several FBI agents. Set between season 5 and 6.  Rated T for innuendo and what not. B&B Complete
1. Snake bite

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I'm not making money and I'm not trying to steal people's stuff =).

A/N This is a repost of my original. The only changes have been some grammar fixes and formatting because it was impossible to read. Thanks to everyone who read it first go around and stuck with me while I was/am figuring this out!

.

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Snake Bite**

Booth sat cleaning his gun, he could hear the whirr of the choppers around him. Going back to his cleaning, he heard the bustle of voices but they faded as his mind flashed back to the airport.

_"One year, the reflecting pool, on the bench," he said, squeezing her hand._  
_"Near the coffee cart I know," she squeezed back._

_A few minutes later, he turned and looked over his shoulder to see her looking at him. Swallowing his heart, he turned his back and left._

How stupid can I be? He thought to himself. I let her leave. He let out a heavy sigh and continued to clean.

"Sarge, you thinking about the bone lady again aren't you?" Private James asked, causing Booth to jerk his head up in surprise.

"You've been cleaning the same piece for ten minutes," James said, making Booth laugh and shake his head.

"You got it bad, Sarge," James pointed out with a smirk.

"Yeah well," Booth muttered. Booth looked up at James and saw the privates jaw drop then heard him let out a low whistle.

"I hope she's a new recruit," James said in a low growling tone. Then Booth heard Angela's voice bellow across the camp.

"Agent Studly, I know you're here somewhere get your butt out here NOW!"

"Angela," he whispered and was on his feet.

If Angela was here, something was wrong. He ran out of the tent, stopping just in front of her, she burst into laughter as he scooped her up into a big hug. James trailed behind him hoping for an introduction. Booth looked up and saw Hodgins running towards them. Hodgins face was pale with worry.

"What happened? Bones, is she okay?" Booth asked in a sudden frantic tone.

* * *

**Three days earlier:**  
_Dr. Temperance Brennan was squatting down, gently brushing dirty off what looked like it could be a skull. I should be having the time of my life this will be a profound dig. Then why, is all I can think about is Booth? She heard a hiss and felt a searing sharp pain shot up her ankle.  
_  
_Daisy dropped her brush as she heard a scream ring from the pit next to her. Jumping up, she ran to the pit._

_"Dr. Brennan, are you alright?_

_"Obviously, I am not alright, Ms. Wick. A snake has bitten me, " Brennan said between clenched teeth._

_Daisy watched as Brennan made a tourniquet for her leg and watched as Brennan's ankle began to swell. Running to camp, Daisy got the stretcher and the on-site doctor. The doctor looked at the bite and asked Brennan if she knew what bit her. _  
_  
"I do not know genius and species. But, I know it was a snake," Brennan muttered while shaking her head no._  
_  
Putting Brennan on a stretcher, the doctor used a satellite phone to call for a helicopter to take them to Jakarta. They waited and Brennan grumbled about the pain. Grabbing Daisy's hand, Brennan pulled her close._  
_  
"Get Booth," Brennan whispered before losing consciousness._  
_  
"Who is Booth?" the doctor asked._  
_  
"Special Agent Seeley Booth or more specifically Sergeant Major Seeley Booth of the US Army," Daisy replied._  
_  
That was something the doctor could do. She did not like feeling this helpless._  
_  
"Hand me the phone," she said._

_The doctor had worked with Brennan in Rwanda and Peru. She knew that the General had liked Brennan and told her if she ever needed anything to call. It would seem it was time to call in that favor. Picking up the phone, she dialed the number for the Pentagon and spent 40 minutes trying to get through. After waiting another twenty minutes, she heard the chopper landing._

_Staying on the line, she helped load Brennan into the helicopter then jumped in. The helicopter lifted into the air and took off on the three-hour flight. Another hour had passed when the phone picked up and she heard a voice._

_"General Carter," the voice said in a very professional voice._

"_Hi, General Carter, this is Dr. Patrice. I don't know if you remember me," Dr. Patrice said._

"_Of course I do. You worked with Dr. Brennan for us identifying bodies in Peru" Carter said immediately._

"_Well, do you remember when you told her if she needed anything to call?" Dr. Patrice asked hesitantly._

_"Yes, does she need something? Why isn't she calling herself?" Carter asked his tone becoming worried._

_"She was bitten by some kind of snake. It looks to be poisonous. She is requesting her Durable Medical Attorney whom you have in the Army. Is there any way we can have him?" Dr. Patrice asked, her teeth worrying her lip._

_She looked at Daisy for the name again. Daisy grabbed a pen and scribbled it down along with where he was. _

_"Sergeant Major Seeley Booth, he is in Afghanistan, Camp Phoenix," Dr. Patrice said after taking the paper from Daisy's hand._

_"I'll pull the strings and get his discharge papers ready," Carter promised._

_"Thank you, General." with that, Dr. Patrice hung up the phone. Daisy reached in her pocket and reached for the phone. Dialing a number, she heard Angela answer._

_"Angela, Dr. Brennan has been bitten by an unidentified snake. We are headed to the hospital in Jakarta."_

_"We're leaving in ten," Angela replied._  
_  
By the time they reached the emergency room, Angela and Hodgins were already there. Daisy filled them in and told her what had happened on the flight. Nodding, Angela picked up the phone and dialed the pentagon. One nice thing about having a rich husband was that when things came down to it they threw that money around. The government liked having donors and investors especially when they are the third richest men in the country._

_Twenty minutes later, Hodgins and Angela were on a helicopter on the roof of the hospital. Due to military zones, the flight took almost 48 hours but finally they had arrived at Camp Phoenix._

* * *

**Present:**

"Booth, Sweetie, she's been bitten by a snake. The last thing she asked for was you. One of the generals that Bren knows has pulled strings. You are outta here. Pack your bags you're going to Indonesia," Angela said quickly.

"Give me five minutes," Booth replied just as quickly. He ran to his tent, grabbed a duffel, and threw necessities in it. As he was rushing around, James walked in and stood watching.

"You leaving, Sarge?" James asked with a small frown on his face.

"Yes, James, I am. Tell they guys bye and sorry I couldn't tell them myself. Bones has been bitten by a snake and as her Durable Medical Attorney I have to authorize treatment," Booth muttered as he continued to throw items into his duffel.

Zipping his bag closed, he clapped the young man on the shoulder and ran out the door. Angela and Hodgins stood where he left them. The three of them turned around and ran for the helicopter. After they climbed into the helicopter, it took flight. Booth watched as Camp Phoenix disappeared from sight.

Two days later, the helicopter landed on the roof of the hospital in Jakarta. They entered the hospital through the rooftop door. When the three reached the ICU floor, they found Daisy sitting in the waiting room. She looked like she hadn't slept, showered, or ate in four days.

Daisy stood up and hugged Angela. After releasing Angela from the hug, Daisy walked to the nurses' station. Leaning over, she whispered to the nurse. A few moments later, a doctor walked out of one of the rooms and approached the waiting room.

"Seeley Booth?" The doctor asked, looking over at the people in the waiting room.

"Yes, what happened?" Booth asked, walking quickly toward the doctor.

"Dr. Brennan has been bitten by a snake. However, she has been unconscious since her arrival. We have been unable to treat her without your authorization. We have given her the basic emergency medical care to keep her alive. But we are unable to do more without your authorization. There are several types of snakes on the island so we are trying to figure out which one it is," the doctor told Booth as he glanced down at the chart in his hands.

"Hodgins, please help the good doctor," Booth said over his shoulder. The doctor looked at Hodgins who had stepped forward.

"And who is he?" The doctor asked with a frown on his face.

"Dr. Jack Hodgins. Entomologist, Mineralogist and Botanist PHD. I was bored in college so I got a BA in Herpetology," Jack introduced himself as he shook the doctors hand.

"I know all of the poisonous species on the island as well as I have known Dr. Brennan for the last seven years," Hodgins told the doctor.

The doctor shook his head and gestured for Hodgins to follow him. A woman walked out of a room and came towards them.

"Daisy, please tell me that, this is Booth," Dr. Patrice said as she approached Daisy. Daisy nodded in affirmation.

"Hi, Sgt. Booth, I am Dr. Patrice, I've been working with Dr. Brennan on the Maluku project," Dr. Patrice said, extending her hand. Booth shook her hand and nodded, his eyes distant.

"Am I allowed to see her?" Booth asked in a borderline frantic tone.

"They are letting Daisy and I switch off sitting with her so she's not alone. So, yes you will be able to see her. The situation is bad, she has a bad fever and doing a lot of mumbling," Dr. Patrice told him gently.

"Bones and I have no secrets," Booth assured her.

Dr. Patrice grinned, she was sure there was a secret Dr. Brennan was keeping from Booth. Shrugging, Dr. Patrice pointed to the room she had just exited. Booth strode down the hall and opened the door. Gasping, he rushed to Brennan's side.

Her hair was plastered with sweat. Her leg was swollen almost to the point of skin breakage from hip to ankle. Her head tossed and turned as if she were having a bad dream. A jumble of mumbled, incomprehensible words fell from her mouth. He reached out, grabbed her hand, knelt beside the bed, and began to pray as he had never done before.

Angela looked around the waiting room and slipped by the nurses, she stood outside the room window and gasped when she saw Brennan's leg. She saw Booth kneeling with Brennan's hand gripped in his as he prayed.

"Where is the chapel?" She asked after turning around to face the nurses' station.

"Third floor," the nurse told her without looking up.

Angela nodded her thanks and walked to the elevator, pressing the number three, she waited for the doors to close. Getting off the elevator, she walked to the chapel. Leaning over, she lit two candles. One for Booth then one for Brennan.

Walking to the front, she did something she had not done in years. Kneeling in the church, she began to pray for her best friend s life. An hour later, she made her way back to the waiting room. With nothing better to do, she began to pace.

Four hours later, Hodgins walked out to talk to Angela. The look on his face made her sink to her knees and start to cry. Running to Angela, he knelt with her, wrapped his arms around her, and whispered.

"No, Baby, No. We know what it was. We're getting her treatment right now. We just don't know what damage has been done," He whispered as he rocked her back and forth rubbing her back as she sniffled.

"Thank God, I thought.." Angela said, trailing off.

"I know. I'm sorry I'm just worried, she has had an almost lethal dose of poison in her system for four days," Hodgins explained and Angela shuddered.

Booth looked up as the doctor walked into the room and used a syringe to inject a liquid into the cannula attached to her IV.

"It would seem, Mr. Booth, that she was bitten by a particularly poisonous snake. They are called death adders. Their poison is a neurotoxin. Dr. Hodgins thinks that she must have been bitten by a young adder whose poison is not as strong. That is the only reason she is alive," the doctor explained to Booth.

"So will she wake up now and stop thrashing? Will the swelling go down?" Booth asked, trying not to shudder at how close she had come to death.

"We are going to treat her with a round of anti-venom, followed by a round of antibiotics to prevent and treat any infection. As far as her waking up, we do not know. Even then, the poison is a neurotoxin. She could very well be paralyzed," the doctor told him gently.

The doctors blue eyes watched Booth with concern. Booth sighed, sat down, picked up Brennan's hand and began the wait.

Six hours later, Angela knocked on the door. Booth looked like hell; his face was covered in stubble, his eyes blood shot.

"Booth, Sweetie, we have a suite at one of the hotels. Go, I'll sit with her. Get some sleep, shower, and eat," Angela urged. Booth shook his head. Angela walked over to him and knelt down next to his chair so that she was eye level with him.

"When she wakes up, she will need us all to be strong. You are one of the strongest people I know but you need sleep. Go, I will call if there is a change," she said, looking him in the eye.

Booth looked at her, nodded, and stood up. He grabbed his bags then headed to the waiting room.

"Let's go. You look like shit," Hodgins told him after clapping him on the shoulder. Hodgins led Booth out onto the street. They climbed into a taxi and headed to the hotel. Booth barely glanced at the hotel as they entered the lobby. He followed Hodgins to the elevator and rode in silence to the suite on the top floor. When they entered the room, Hodgins pointed to a door to the left side of the lounge area. Booth nodded, entered the room and set his bag down. He went to the bathroom, looked at himself in the mirror and cringed. Pulling out his shaving supplies, he removed the four days worth of stubble on his face. Stripping down, he got into the shower and quickly washed. After getting out, he threw on a pair of boxers and fell across the bed in exhaustion.

Booth jerked awake when he heard the phone ring. Jumping up, he ran to answer it but Hodgins was already there. Turning around, Booth went back into his room and pulled on his army uniform. He left the bedroom and padded to the living room. Hodgins spotted Booth and gestured to the food on the counter between the kitchen area and living room. Nodding, Booth sat down and began to eat. He chewed slowly, something he hadn't been able to do in eight months. Hodgins hung up the phone, walked over, and sat down.

Picking up the second plate, Hodgins began to eat.

"I figured we'd head over after you eat," Hodgins told Booth, who nodded again.

"Dude, you still look like shit, better than yesterday but still like shit," Hodgins said with empathy.

"Well, Hodgins, not all of us have spent the last eight months in Paris. You saw where I was living," Booth pointed out.

Hodgins nodded, even for a conspiracy theorist, he had to respect the men who lived like that so he could practice his theories about conspiracies. Even if the men were duped into doing it by the government.

The two men heard a knock at the door. Hodgins, stood up and went to open it, he stood dumbfounded at the people standing on the other side. Smiling, he swept the door open. Cam and Sweets entered dragging their luggage behind them.

"Daisy called when they arrived at the hospital. We got here as quick as we could. Did someone let Booth know?" Cam said, looking over at Hodgins. Hodgins grinned and jerked his head over his shoulder.

"Seeley Booth, you are not AWOL right?" Cam demanded as she drug her luggage into the room. Laughing for the first time in three days, Booth shook his head no.

"No, Camille, I am not. Brennan's friend called in a favor. General Carter gave me an Honorable Discharge. We were just getting ready to go back to the hospital," Booth told her with a grin.

"Don't call me Camille. Is it bad?" She asked, looking calmly over at him. Booth looked into her eyes and Cam saw the worry and sorrow there.

"How bad is it?" Cam asked after letting out a sigh.

"We don't know yet. She got bit by a baby death adder. They're not sure if the neu..whatever toxins have done permanent damage. She could be paralyzed. We won't know until she wakes up," Booth said, trying to keep the fear from creeping into his voice. Cam sighed again, rolled her eyes at Booth, and corrected,

"Neurotoxins. And yes, they can tell. Sheesh, I deal with the dead and even I know that they can run a test for that," Cam grunted.

Sweets and Cam quickly set their bags into the living room. Cam, Sweets, Hodgins and Booth left shortly after that, piling into a taxi. They arrived on the ICU floor and they took seats in the waiting room. Booth strode down the hall to Brennan's room. Walking into the room, he saw Angela holding Brennan's hand, softly talking to her. Angela jumped when the door opened and Booth walked over.

"When was the last time the doctor came by?" Booth asked Angela.

"About three hours ago. He should be by in a few minutes," she replied.

"I need you to go to the waiting room," Booth told her. Angela was about to protest, he hushed her and ushered her to the door.

"Send in the doctor out there. You will know who I mean," Booth said with a small smile. Angela nodded and walked to the waiting room. She saw Cam and rushed to hug her.

"Booth wants you to go to the room with him," Angela told Cam.

Cam nodded and strode down the hall with an air of confidence. Knocking on the door, she entered quietly and stopped suddenly. Gasping, she put her hand over her mouth. She sat down next to Booth and reached for his other hand. They sat together in silence for half an hour before the doctor walked in.

"There should only be one person at a time in here," the doctor said, looking over at Cam. Cam stood up and crossed her arms, glaring at the doctor.

"I am Dr. Camille Saroyan of the Jeffersonian. I would like to discuss Dr. Brennan's condition with you," she told the doctor.

"Unless you are a medical proxy, I am unable to do that without authorization," the doctor said in a patronizing tone. Booth glared at the doctor.

"I have a bug doctor who found what snake it was. What makes you think our Pathologist can't help? And I am her medical proxy and I give you authorization," Booth calmly stated.

The doctor rocked back on his heels and dropped his hands into his coat pockets.

"Have you run and EMG to determine if there is lower extremity nerve damage? Have you started an anti-inflammatory to bring down the swelling?" Cam rapid fired the questions at the doctor.

He shook his head no and Cam sighed and put her hand to her forehead.

"Let's start with the anti-inflammatory. When the swelling goes down we can do the EMG," Cam growled. The doctor nodded and left the room.

"Thanks, Cam. What is an EMG?" Booth asked her, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"It's an Electromyogram. It is used to test muscle and nerve function in extremities. It will let us know if there is nerve function in the legs. However, she may still have some damage. It is not that uncommon of a test. This country is not this backwards," Cam, told him.

Booth sighed at the situation. The doctor returned, injected two syringes into the I.V, and the wait began. Over the next four hours, the medical staff returned once more and Booth slowly began to notice the swelling going down. Angela came to relieve him and sent him to the waiting room. He stopped in sudden surprise at everyone sitting there.

Cam handed him a cup of coffee and Sweets handed him a doughnut. More than one kind of family, Booth thought as they sat in silence. Two hours later, Angela exited Brennan's room and made her way to the waiting room. She stated to the room in general.

"They would like Cam and Booth in there. They are getting ready to do something called an EMG," Angela explained.

Booth and Cam stood up and walked to the room. Booth winced as he watched them stick needles into the calves of Brennan's legs. Cam let out what sounded like a relieved sigh. Booth sat through the thirty-minute test.

The neurologist turned around and smiled.

"There is neurological activity. There may be damage, however, she will have function in her legs," the doctor told them. Booth sighed in relief then began thanking the Lord.

Cam quietly left him holding Brennan's hand. Cam walked to the waiting room and told them what she knew about Brennan's current state.

* * *

**A/N Yes I know it is not that easy to get out of the military. I'm pretty sure Camp Phoenix wouldn't just let some random helicopter land no matter how much money they had. I also know that if Brennan had been bitten by a death adder she had a 75% chance of dying before they could identify the snake and use anti-venom. She definitely would not have been alive for four days.**

**Okay now that I'm done punching holes in my own story. Reviews are still welcome!**


	2. Hallucinations

Disclaimer: I don't own Bones, or anything else I mention in my story. So no copy right infringement intended.

* * *

**Chapter 2 - Hallucinations**

Two days passed before Brennan finally stirred, Booth was asleep in the chair holding her hand. He heard her gasp and he came upright in the chair. She tried to speak, but all that came out was a croak. He stood up and picked up the cup next to her bedside table. Lifting it to her lips, he put the straw in her mouth. She took a sip then she looked up at him with a weak smile. Suddenly, she moaned and squeezed her eyes squeezed shut.

Booth pushed the button and a nurse quickly came in. After seeing Brennan's face clenched in pain, the nurse left the room and returned a moment later.

"I'm giving her some codeine for the pain. I can't give her anything stronger until the doctor comes back," the nurse told him as she slid the needle into the cannula. Booth nodded then leaned over and kissed Brennan on the forehead.

"I'll be right here when you wake up," Booth whispered to her. Brennan drifted to sleep listening to him talk. Booth left her after she fell asleep, he walked to the waiting room. Angela and Sweets were there asleep in the chairs.

Everyone was sleeping in rotating shifts. When he walked into the waiting room, the two sleeping in the seats jumped in surprise.

"She woke up. They gave her codeine for the pain and she fell back asleep," Booth told them.

Angela smiled sleepily at Sweets. Booth turned around and headed back to Brennan's room. Sitting down, he picked up her right hand in his left then picked up her latest book in his right. He began to read the second chapter, where he had left off before falling asleep. Three chapters later, she woke up again.

She groaned and felt someone squeeze her hand. Opening her eyes, she saw Booth leaning over her. She laughed and a confused look crossed his face at her laughter.

"I'm hallucinating aren't I? You're in Afghanistan. You know, I should have told you. I was trying to protect you from me. I should have told you that I love you. But everyone I love, leaves me," Brennan said in a garbled voice.

She laughed again and closed her eyes. He sighed and sat down again, apparently the pain killers were reacting strangely. Thirty minutes later, the doctor entered the room, walked to the bed, lifted Brennan's eyelids and shined a pen light into her eyes. He let her eyelids close and wrote on her chart. Her eyes fluttered open and she groaned. The doctor looked up at Brennan when she groaned.

"Has she said anything, Mr. Booth?" The doctor asked, looking over at Booth.

"Agent Booth," Brennan corrected. The doctor looked at Brennan as she spoke. Booth smiled at her correction. He knew she was getting better since she was correcting people.

"Are you seeing my hallucination then as well?" Brennan asked the doctor with a face scrunched in confusion.

"You think you are hallucinating, Dr. Brennan?" The doctor asked, leaning over to look into her open eyes.

"Obviously, since Booth is here. He's in Afghanistan training other military personnel," Brennan said clinically. Booth laughed again and looked at the doctor.

"She is not hallucinating and there is nothing wrong with her personality or brain. She is herself," Booth told the doctor.

"Why is my hallucination arguing with me?" Brennan asked, looking back and forth between Booth and the doctor.

"That's my Bones," Booth said with a grin.

"I am not your Bones. You really are here aren't you, Booth? Why are you not in Afghanistan?" Brennan questioned Booth almost frantically.

"Dr. Brennan, please, slow down. Are you in pain?" The doctor asked her with a frown.

"On a numerical pain scale I would put my pain at 6," Brennan told the doctor, who nodded.

"We'll get some blood work done and put you on some pain medications. As the poison works its way out of your system it will be painful," the doctor told her and Brennan nodded.

"I'll leave to get the nurse to do your blood work now," the doctor stated. Booth sat down and she rolled her head to the side and looked at him.

"What are you doing here?" Brennan queried Booth in a raspy voice.

"Apparently, you called in your favor to get me here. I've been honorably discharged by General Carter," Booth told her as he rubbed her hand between his.

"I told you to be careful in those jungles. You almost died. If Hodgins had not identified the snake you would have," Booth scolded her.

"Hodgins is here?" She asked.

"So are Angela, Cam, and Sweets. When you almost died, the family arrived." Booth smiled at her, "there is more than one kind of family."

"Tired," She mumbled.

"Go to sleep. One of us will be here when you wake up," he told her.

Sitting back down, he picked up the book and began to read again. Several hours passed and he heard a knock on the door. Booth scowled as Sweets walked in the door to relieve Booth.

"The doctors are running tests to see which pain med she is allowed to have. A twelve year old can't make those decisions. Talk to either Cam or me when they come in. Understand," Booth said firmly.

Sweets gave Booth a sarcastic smile and nodded. As Booth walked past the waiting room, he saw that Cam had replaced Angela. He stopped by and told her that they were waiting on blood test results and that Sweets was to ask her about any changes in Brennan's treatment. She nodded and he left the hospital and headed to the hotel to get some sleep. Jumping into the shower, he cleaned up, pulled on boxers and fell into bed.

Six hours later, his watch beeped. Booth rolled out of bed, went to the bath room, pulled on clean clothes and headed to the living area. Seeing Angela at the counter, he approached and poured himself some coffee then snagged a bagel. Sitting down, he started to eat and told Angela,

"You know Bones said some weird stuff when she first woke up and thought I was a hallucination," Booth said thoughtfully, around a mouthful of bagel.

Angela looked over her coffee cup at him.

"I have no idea what she said so I have no reference point for the question you are trying to ask. Please be more specific," Angela stated.

"Did you just squint talk me, Angela?" Booth asked her incredulously. Angela smiled and continued to sip her coffee.

"Look you know Bren and you know that she is terrified of emotions. I don't know what happened but all of a sudden she's off to Maluku and you're off to Afghanistan. So, whatever it is you need to talk to her about it. I can't help because I am totally in the dark here," Angela told him with a sympathetic smile. Booth sighed and began to tell her about that night.

"We went to correct Sweets about his book. When it was all said and done, he said I was the gambler and I had to make the first move. Like an idiot, I listened to him and I asked her to take a chance on us. She said she didn't have an open heart and couldn't give me what I wanted or needed. I told her that I had to move on and she agreed with me," Booth summed up.

Booth sighed again.

"Jesus, Booth, you are an idiot. Men!" Angela let out a huge groan and rolled her eyes.

"Brennan does not believe that she deserves you," Angela explained.

"That makes no sense," Booth stated vehemently.

"She told you that she could not give you what you wanted or needed. She's saying that you deserve someone who can give you those things. And you big boy agreed with her. You have to remember serious emotional attachments scare Bren. Everyone she ever let in enough to love her, left her," Angela told him.

"I would never leave her," he stated, getting more upset by the minute.

"I knew Brennan before you. I've watched her change. She went from a woman who believed her best relationships were with dead people. To someone who reached out to the victims families, to let them know what happened to their loved ones. On your birthday, she did something she doesn't often do. She admitted she was wrong, she admitted in front of people that you were important to her and that no one would turn her attention again," Angela pointed out.

"That woman loves you. Now we just have to get her to admit it," Angela assured him with a smile.

Booth stood up and walked to the door.

"She will only admit it when she's good and ready. I told her I had to move on but I can't no one can compare to her. I guess I will wait now. I'm going to the hospital," he told her with a shrug of his shoulders.

He arrived at the hospital a few minutes later. Walking down the hallway to Brennan's room, he lightly knocked on her doorway. He was surprised when he heard someone call for him to enter. Pushing the door open, he walked in. Brennan was sitting up in the bed, looking much better. She was less pale, her leg was only slightly swollen. Cam sat next to the bed talking to Brennan. Smiling, Cam updated him on what had happened then quietly slipped from the room.

"Hey Bones, are you in your right mind now?" Booth asked with a teasing grin.

"Considering that I am right handed and the statistically anomalies that go with being right brained indicate that I would be left handed then no. I would be in my left mind," Brennan told him clinically.

"Welcome back, Bones," Booth said with a happy smile then sat down in the chair Cam had vacated. She looked at him with pursed lips and intense concentration.

"You have lost body mass but your musculature has increased," Brennan stated, looking him up and down.

"Thank you, I think. It has been while since you complimented me," Booth said with a smiled and she asked,

"So when can I go home? I hate hospitals," she said.

"I know you do. But they need to run some tests to check the nerve function in your leg. They need to see you walk but before you do the swelling needs to go down. So you will have to ride it out," Booth told her firmly.

"I don't know what that means."

"It means you have to stay here until the doctor says so. Then we will take you home. Daisy is sending your bags back to D.C," Booth told her.

"What? No, I have to finish my year with the Maluku project. I need to go back," Brennan stated.

"Dr. Patrice took over when you were flown here. The board decided that you would be unable to finish in the actual dig. So you are not going back to Maluku. They are sending the items to the Jeffersonian for you to do whatever it was you were doing with them there in Maluku. I am going home to be an agent and things will go back to the way they were before we left," Booth told her.

She smiled at his assumption but let it pass.

"Well, can I at least get a shower? I smell very bad," Brennan pointed out. Booth laughed and walked out to go find a nurse. Five minutes later, he came back.

"The doctor said yes you can have a shower, however, it has to be short and you will need help. He said who helps you is up to you. Either a nurse, me or one of the others can help you," Booth said. Brennan looked around and her teeth tugged at her bottom lip

"Can you call Angela?" She asked him, her teeth still tugging at her lip.

Booth nodded, picked up the phone, and dialed the hotel number. After five rings, the service picked up. He walked out to the waiting room and his eyebrows climbed no one was there.

"They must have gone out to celebrate or something. No one is there; I can go get a nurse," Booth said, sympathetic to her unusual embarrassment.

Brennan nodded and he left the room. The nurse that walked up when summoned to help her shower made Booth shake his head. Just the same, the option was hers. He opened the door shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall.

"No, Booth can help me. Thank you, Nurse, I'm sure you understand," she told the nurse as soon as she spotted the man.

Booth bit back a grin at her response. The nurse walked over and unhooked the I.V, asking that they let him know when she was done so he could hook it back up.

"I promise not to look," he told her, putting his hands over his eyes. She snorted and rolled her eyes at him.

"Hey even if I did look it would only be fair. You saw me naked," Booth pointed out with a grin. She snorted again.

"But I'm wearing I.V.'s not a beer dispensing hat," she laughed.

Booth just grinned then put her shampoo and body wash in the bathroom as well as two towels. She swung her legs around the edge of the bed, grimacing in pain. Pushing to the edge, she stood up placing most of her weight on her right leg. Booth held her at the hips to steady her.

"We will do this the easy way. Don't squeal in my ear please," Booth said after a thoughtful pause.

After saying that, Booth bent down, and picked her up by putting one arm around her waist and one under her knees. She gasped and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I do not squeal," she said, putting her head on his shoulder. He carried her into the bathroom, set her down in the shower, and untied the back of her hospital gown.

"Your shampoo and body wash are already in there and your towels are out here. I'll be right here just holler if you need help," he said in a low tone.

When he heard the shower start, he took a step back and leaned against the door. The smell of her shampoo filled the bathroom, he closed his eyes and inhaled. It had been eight months since he had smelled it. He heard her moan in happiness at getting clean.

He gritted his teeth and started naming saints. He remembered the last time he had done that and almost laughed. She had stripped him down to his boxers to collect evidence after the Santa Claus had blown up all over him. He smelled her body wash next, a mix of lavender and vanilla. He heard the water stop. Stepping forward, he held a towel into the shower for her. He heard her shuffle around and then the curtain opened.

He helped her step out of the shower. Holding her by the hips, he stabilized her while she wrapped her hair in a towel. They moved carefully to in front of the sink where she brushed her teeth. He left her leaning on the sink while he grabbed a hospital gown. Slipping her arms through, he tied the gown in the back. She pulled the towel out from under the gown. He picked her up and moved her back to the bed.

He set her on the edge of the bed, went, and got her the bag that Angela had brought. He set it next to her. She dug through and found a pair of underwear. She looked at them then at her feet. He snatched them out of her hand. Bending over, he hooked them on her feet and pulled them up her leg to mid thigh. Standing her up and looking towards the door, he allowed her to pull them up.

When she was done, she tapped him so he would put her down. He set her down on the edge of the bed and swung her legs up on to the bed. Tucking the blankets in around her, he hit the button for the nurse. The nurse came back and put the I.V back in which made it so she couldn't lift her arms. Sighing in frustration, she rolled her eyes. Seeing her problem, he stepped closer, pulled the towel over her hair, and gently squeezed the water from her hair.

When it was as dry as it was going to get, he pulled the towel off her head and draped it on the rack in the bathroom. Stepping back into the room, he grinned at her hair. Her hair was between curly and wavy definitely more than he had ever seen.

"What is so amusing?" She asked him with a small smile.

"Nothing, I just didn't know that your hair was curly," he teased her with a twinkle in his eye.

"My hair is not curly," she said curtly.

"Because it is so straight right now," he smirked.

He didn't realize how much he had missed their bickering. He had tried to see if anyone would bicker with him at the camp but the men just thought he was cranky so he stopped. He sat down and watched as she picked through the bag and found her brush. Pulling it through her hair, she watched him as he looked around and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"So, General Carter got you out of your contract with the military?" She questioned curiously, still brushing her hair. He nodded at her question.

"I was minding my own business cleaning my gun and talking to Private James when a helicopter lands. Not a new thing at Camp Phoenix, then I hear someone, no name Angela, calling out looking for Agent Studly. I ran out and the next thing I knew I was on a helicopter headed to Jakarta. That was seven days ago," Booth told her briefly.

She cocked her head and looked at him.

"Angela is a name therefore the no name comment makes no sense," she said in her scientific voice. Booth looked at her and rolled his eyes.

"I will explain it later," he told her with a look he had given her too often.

A knock on the door drew their attention to it. Booth stood up, walked to the door and swung it open. Reflexively, he snapped to attention. The General walked into the room past Booth and stopped at the foot of Brennan's bed. Booth closed the door in the face of the M.P.'s following the General. Turning his back on the door, he leaned against it and grinned. Brennan laughed and the general turned around to see what she was laughing at. Booth had wiped the smile off his face and just stood there.

Brennan put her hand over her mouth but couldn't hide the smile in her eyes. The General cleared his throat and sat down.

"Dr. Brennan I came to check on your. Dr. Patrice was very worried so I thought I should check on one of our nation s greatest assets," he said, smiling.

"I cannot be owned. Therefore, asset would be a bad word to describe me," Brennan informed the General. The general chuckled and shook his head.

"I had forgotten that about you. I enjoy speaking with you for that reason," he stated. Booth rolled his eyes and chuckled at the general's statement.

"So we are level now yes general?" She questioned him.

"Even, Bones, you would be even," Booth corrected, smiling widely.

"I think not, Dr. Brennan, what was asked of me was not asked by you and took me about thirty seconds to arrange. As far as that goes if Sergeant Major Booth had asked, I would have done it. His service record is beyond exemplary," Carter told her. Booth's eyebrows rose at the general's statement.

"I told you, Booth, a lot of people respect you. You do your jobs and you do them well and for that people respect you." She praised him and Booth sighed while rolling his eyes. The general chuckled at them and understood what everyone had been saying about them.

"If you have earned her respect, Booth, than you should be proud. She made my men's lives hell when she was identifying bodies for us in New York. She had no respect for their authority. Out of the fifty men who worked with her, she respected only one. The rest she called stupid. Plus I had a hell of a time convincing them to stay they didn't want to work with her," Carter said with resignation.

"That sounds like her, Sir," Booth told him with a grin.

"You know him, Booth," Brennan told Booth with a small smile.

"I do?" Booth asked with confusion on his face.

"When he got out of the military, I got him a job at the Jeffersonian. Mica the night security guard," she explained.

"Huh," Booth grunted.

"Our nation owes you a huge debt, Dr. Brennan. This small thing does not even begin to repay and I was glad I could help. Do you know when you will be returning to Washington?" The general asked.

"After the swelling goes down the doctor will sign my discharge papers," Brennan told him.

"Sergeant Major Booth, or should I say Agent Booth, Deputy Director Cullen heard I was coming to see Dr. Brennan and asked that I pass her a message for her to contact him. As I am to understand you two are partners?" The general asked him.

"Yes, we are," Booth told the general.

"And that you two are the best at what you do?" The general questioned, already knowing the answer.

"We have the highest solve rate in the last two decades, Sir," Booth admitted.

"Good, than I hope you can fix what he's going to speak to you about. Homeland Security is keeping an eye on the situation. But knowing that the two of you are working on it is a big relief," Carter told them.

"I have not said that I would help. Booth and I work together as a team we are the best as a team. It should be a relief that we will be working on it," Brennan told the general. Booth smiled at her with intensity in his eyes she had seen every now and again.

"Well, I hope that you will seriously consider working on this case," Carter said with sincerity.

With that, the general stood, nodded, and left the room. Another knock sounded at the door. Booth looked over at the door and saw it was Angela. He waved her in.

"Was that a general I just saw?" Angela asked them.

"Yes, he came to see how I was doing," Brennan told her.

"Booth, go back to the hotel. Hodgins and Sweets are there." Angela told Booth, who rolled his eyes and headed out the door.

"I'll be back later, Bones," Booth promised as he left the room.

He left the hospital and returned to the hotel. He found Hodgins and Sweets sitting on the couch watching TV.

"Hey, Hodgins, do you have a helicopter around here anywhere?" Booth asked, hoping that Hodgins did.

"No, but I can get one here in an hour or so what's up?" Hodgins asked after a thoughtful pause.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah okay again with the I'm clueless about the military thing, please feel free not to point it out =P. **

**Reviews are always welcome.**


	3. Whooah are those Dr Brennan

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it. Fox does or someone else.

* * *

_"Hey Hodgins do you have a helicopter around here anywhere?" Booth asked. Hodgins thought about it for a second and said._

_"No but I can get one here in an hour or so what's up?"_

* * *

"I was wondering if it could take me to Maluku to get Bones stuff. Her computer is there and I believe the Deputy Director has been trying to contact her." Booth told him.

"Yeah sure Booth no problem man. Let me make a call. I'd like to check this place out anyway. I can get a look at all the insects and flora on the island." He said rubbing his hands together; he was like a kid in dirt. Hodgins walked away to make the calls.

***************************************************************

Three hours later, they found themselves slowly approaching an encampment on the island of Obi in the Maluku chain of islands.

"Hello anyone there?" Booth called out when he heard sounds in the bush.

"Agent Booth is that you?" Daisy called out.

"Yes Ms. Wick it is," Booth replied. The brush rustled to the right in front of them. Booth pushed Hodgins and Sweets behind him. Daisy burst from the brush.

"Follow me, she told them as she led them to the encampment.

At the encampment Dr. Patrice asked,

"Sergeant Booth although it is nice to see you again I am wondering why you are here?"

"I came to retrieve Bones possessions," Booth stated.

"Bones?" She questioned in curiosity.

"Dr. Brennan, it is my nickname for her," he clarified.

She laughed when she got it and told him, "Okay we haven't packed her stuff up yet we found a large discovery at one of the dig sites."

Booth sighed this was going to upset her. "May we have Ms. Wick take some photos so we can show them to Dr. Brennan?" Booth asked.

"Sure Mr. Booth," Dr. Patrice replied.

"Agent Booth," Daisy corrected and Booth laughed.

"Okay her hut is over here," Dr. Patrice waved him toward a hut. When Booth moved Daisy saw Sweets.

"LANCE-A-LOT!" Daisy shrieked. Booth winced at the screech. Shrugging it off he headed to the hut. He heard Daisy talking a million miles a minute, Hodgins snapping photos and getting very excited and hollering about bugs.

He laughed to himself only the squints. He walked into her hut and looked around. The sun was starting to set and he turned on the lamp in the hut. Looking under her bed, he found her suitcase. Unzipping it, he pulled her clothes out of the footlocker. Then he moved to her desk and began packing things from her desk. He laughed only squints would live out of a footlocker yet have fully functional desks.

As he removed things from the desk, he found a picture of them. One Angela had taken they were sitting in her office papers spread around them eating Thai. The minute the picture had been taken, they were looking in each other s eyes with small smiles. It was a very good picture of them. Smiling he placed it in her suitcase. Reaching toward the corner of the desk his hands brushed something sitting on the desk.

Picking it up he brought his hand closer to the light and grinned. In his hand, he held Jasper and Brainy Smurf. He placed them in her bag. Moving through her items, he placed things she would need immediately in her bag. In addition, those things she would need later in her suitcase.

When he had finished he stepped out and saw Dr. Patrice standing under a canopy. Walking over to her, he cleared his throat to get her attention. She turned around and smirked at him and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Is there anything in terms of notes, journals that Dr. Brennan might need at the Jeffersonian?"

"Are you sure you are not a scientist Agent Booth?" Dr. Patrice questioned.

"No, as Dr. Goodman would say I'm just tapping my inner squint," he told her.

"What is a squint?" Dr. Patrice asked. Booth heard Daisy's voice call across the encampment.

"It is what he calls scientists. At the Jeffersonian it is some term of affection." Smiling she nodded and walked to a large tent. She came back carrying a small flat filing container of information.

"Thank you I'm sure this will help pass sometime in the hospital." He said nodding to her, he turned around and headed towards the tent calling out as he went.

"Hodgins did you get those pictures for Bones?" Booth called out.

"Yes I did and now I'm shooting a Megachile Pluto." Hodgins hollered back.

"No squint speak Hodgins. What is that?" Booth groaned out at him.

"A really big freaking bee," Dr. Patrice laughed out.

"Thank you Dr. Patrice," Hodgins laughed back.

"I'll be done in five Hodgins. Sweets puts your clothes on we're heading out in five." Booth called out to the guys. He heard laughter ring out across the encampment. He leaned down and walked into the hut. He put the papers in her bag. Talking one last look around, he saw a night side table that the lantern was sitting on. He walked over and opened the drawer in it. He saw a well-worn leather journal with metallic looking buckling on the front.

He smiled it looked antique but he knew you could buy them at the store. He picked up the journal and a picture fell out. He picked it up; it was a picture of him sitting at her desk with his feet propped up, hands behind his head and a smile on his face. He tucked it back into the journal and grabbed the pen in there as well. Tossing them into the bag, he zipped up her suitcase and clipped her bag shut. Swinging the bag over his shoulder, he picked up the suitcase.

"Let's go boys. Hodgins stop playing with bugs, Sweets stop pretending you like girls. We know you think they have cooties." Booth walked over to Dr. Patrice.

"Thank you for everything Dr. Patrice. We don't know what we'd do without her." She smiled at him and replied.

"I'm glad I could help. Please let her know that I will keep in touch." Dr. Patrice told him.

"I will do that," he replied with a smile. While Booth was, saying goodbye Hodgins and Sweets had come over. Turning around the three of them made their way back to the helicopter. Dr. Patrice looked over her shoulder and saw Daisy standing there.

"They don't know do they?" Dr. Patrice asked her. Daisy burst into laughter.

"They've been dancing around it for five years. This might just make them realize. I wonder if my money is still in the pool." Grinning she head Dr. Patrice's laughter follow her away.

****************************************************************************************************

Two hours later found Hodgins, Booth and Sweets back in Jakarta. Booth had pulled out Brennan's laptop and plugged it in. Hodgins uploaded the photos for her. Shutting it down he told them to get some sleep he'd take next shift at the hospital. Nodding Hodgins headed to his room and Sweets flopped on the couch.

Booth grabbed her bag and headed to the hospital. He stuck his head in the door and Cam was sitting there.

"Took you long enough to come back. Did you forget?" Cam questioned.

"No I went and got her stuff. Do you think I would forget?" He asked Cam.

"You went to Maluku and back tonight?" She asked with astonishment.

"Yep. No big deal," Booth stated with a smile.

"Okay, I'm going back to the hotel. She's been asleep most of the night." Cam told him and stood to leave. Booth nodded and sat down setting the bag down next to the chair. Cam quietly slipped out of the room. Booth picked up her book and continued to read until he heard her stirring. Looking over the top of the book, he smiled at her.

"Good morning," he smiled at her.

"Unngghh," she groaned.

"I know you want coffee, I'll be right back." He stood up and went down to the coffee store that was in the hospital lobby to get her good coffee. He came back carrying two coffees. She was trying to get out of bed when he walked into the room.

"Bones what are you doing?" He asked her with a sigh.

"I'm going to the bathroom what does it look like," she snarled back. Booth sighed again and set down the coffee and steadied her while pushing the IV pole into the bathroom. She came out using the IV pole as a crutch of sorts and gingerly sat back in the bed. Booth picked her legs up and put them on the bed.

"I know this grinds your gears but if you need help ask okay," he sighed.

"I don't know what that means," she told him. Booth handed her the cup of coffee he brought her. He pushed the tray over her bed and set her bag on it. Her eyes lit up and she smiled that smile that made his stomach do flip-flops. She reached for her bag and started pulling things out starting with her computer. Then the stack of papers, setting them to the side she dug deeper.

"Thank you Booth. I really appreciate you doing this for me. All of this," she said with a grateful smile. He smiled at her and sat down. He watched as she started up her computer. Pursing her lips, she double clicked something on her desktop and gasped at the pictures that popped up. Booth grinned he knew she had found the pictures. He watched as she clicked around on her screen.

She became very involved so he picked up her book and continued reading. Lunch came and went. She left her food untouched. Booth growled and unplugged her computer and moved it and she growled back. He pushed her food in front of her, sat down, and stared at her she stared back. The nurse walked in then backed out when she saw the stare down. Brennan finally ground out.

"You re not going to let me finish what I was doing until I eat right?" She asked glaring at him.

"Eat most of it. Not just eat I know how literal you are," he replied raising his eyebrow he looked directly into her eyes. Rolling her eyes she took a bite, eating around the meat, she ate her meal. Booth handed her back her laptop. Pulling the book up to his face Booth continued to read. She looked over at the title and laughed.

"You re just now reading that?" She asked in surprise. She knew he usually read them the first day on the shelves.

"No this is the second time I'm reading it. I'm waiting for your new one to come out. By the way when is that happening?" He inquired.

"Two months I believe. I have not had much contact with my publisher over the last six months," she told him.

"Come on Bones I'm your partner can't I get an early copy?" He wheedled.

"No definitely not," she stated nervously. She shook her head and went back to her laptop. She plugged in her wireless internet connection and her conference program blinked on her desktop. Double clicking it, she blinked twice when the deputy director's face popped on her screen.

"Deputy Director Cullen can I help you?" Brennan asked pointedly.

"Ahh Dr. Brennan I had heard you were ill but was hoping that at some point you would log on," Cullen said.

Booth's head snapped up and his eyes narrowed but he said nothing.

"Actually Dr. Brennan I was wondering if you happened to know where Agent Booth is? I contacted his post and they said he had been discharged but I have not heard anything from him," Cullen asked her.

"Yes sir I actually know where he is," she told him cautiously. She looked up and he shook his head no, so she shooed him with her hands out of Cullen's sight. Booth got up and walked down the hallway away from her room.

"Unfortunately I do not know where he is at this particular moment. Is there some message I may pass on?" She inquired innocently.

"Are you still out in Indonesia digging?" He asked her with narrowed eyes.

"No I was bitten by a particularly poisonous snake and am being sent home. I had assumed that when you spoke with General Carter you had been advised of that. Why do you ask?" She said truthfully.

"When you two get back into Washington please come right here. We have a serious case and we need the best. That means Booth, you and the squint squad as he calls them." He said seriously.

"Yes Deputy Director Cullen I will tell Booth you want to converse with him," She told the Deputy Director. The connection was terminated. She closed the screen and went back to plotting the pictures on her dig site map. Opening each picture she examined what was in it when she heard the door open.

"Deputy Director Cullen wants us to meet him as soon as we get back into Washington D.C. he seems very adamant," she informed Booth. She continued to perusing her pictures without looking up. Booth looked at her and smiled. How in the world does she know it's me he thought to himself. Sitting down in the chair, he continued to watch her. Sweets stuck his head in the door and Booth waved him in.

Sweets came in and sat down. It took her about half an hour before she realized that Sweets was sitting there. She looked up and smiled.

"Hello Dr. Sweets," she greeted him. He smiled at her and glancing at her leg, he noticed the swelling had gone down since yesterday. Looking at Booth, he nodded his head toward her leg. Booth glanced at it then at Sweets and narrowed his eyes. Sweets put his hands up in a defensive gesture and Booth nodded. Brennan huffed and yanked on the arm of the hospital gown for the third time in ten minutes.

"What's wrong Bones?" Booth asked her.

"Other than my breasts keeps falling out of the arm of this gown nothing," Brennan said. Booth started blushing and he started to stutter. She grinned at him her eyes twinkling.

"You know for a guy that has had as many girlfriends over the years the mere mention of sex or body parts causes you to blush. It's very modest of you." Booth shook his head and got up throwing over his shoulder.

"I'll be back in awhile." She laughed as he left the room.

"You know that is a dominance game you play with him?" Sweets inquired in his best psychologist tone.

"You know I do not like psychology. It is a soft science," she stated and leveled a look at him.

"In most conversations he is in control of the conversation. However, when the conversation turns to sex he gets flustered and you take control of the conversation. So you tease him into getting flustered so you can have control." Sweets continued ignoring her comment. Leaning her hand on her face and her elbow on the tray table, she looked at Sweets.

"And what Dr. Sweets make you not believe that I just like to see vasodilatation of the blood vessels in his face because it is pleasing to see?" Brennan inquired with an innocent look on her face. Sweets eyes bugged and hers shone in amusement.

"Are you saying what I think your saying?" Sweets asked excitedly.

"I'm saying that it is pleasing to look at when he blushes. It is a statement of fact nothing more," she said in her best authoritative voice. Going back to her work, she beamed while she typed.

*********************************************************  
Two hours had passed when Booth came in carrying a bag under his arm.

"Hey Sweets I missed lunch can you go order me a cheese burger some fries no salt then bring me salt." Booth asked him.

"Why would you order them with no salt then put salt on them?" Sweets asked in confusion.

"Because Sweets I want them cooked fresh," Booth said in his best are you stupid tone. Sweets nodded and stepped out the door. As soon as he left, a nurse came in and unplugged her IV. She looked confused as the nurse left. Going into the bathroom Booth laid out her shower supplies and brought the bag he had under his arm in.

"Thank you Booth I was very distracted with the pictures from Maluku. I was enjoying seeing what was going on at the dig site."

"I know Bones but you have to take care of yourself. Now let s get you clean before Sweets gets back or we will have some 'splaining to do," Booth said saying the last three words in his best Ricky Ricardo voice.

"I don't know what that means," she said confusion evident on her face. Booth just gestured for her to scoot to the edge of the bed. He scooped her up, carried her into the bathroom, and set her down in the shower. A few minutes later, her arm popped out and dropped her clothes on the floor. Booth swept them up and left the bathroom. He dropped the gown in the laundry in the hallway and stuck her panties in his over shirt pocket until he could get the other bag back.

He heard the shower stop and stepped in. He handed her the towel and minute later she stepped out with his help wrapped in her towel. He held her upright while she brushed her teeth. He stepped over to the bag and pulled out a pair of panties, she stepped carefully into them, and he pulled them up to her thighs. She pulled them the rest of the way up.

He turned around while she did that, grabbed the sweats from the bag and she stepped into them. He pulled them up to her thighs and said.

"You may have to tie those tighter in the waist. Yours would be too small on your leg, these are mine." She pulled them up and tightened the waistband. He pulled out her bra and let it hang on his finger. She pulled it off his finger, shrugged into it over her towel while he held her waist, and stared at the ceiling.

"Are you naming saints again Booth?"

"Yes" he continued muttering the names after answering.

She hooked her bra over the towel and pulled the towel out from under her bra. She grabbed the edge of the sink. He bent over and pulled out one of her tank tops. She leaned into the sink at the waist and put her arms over her head, he pulled the top on. Picking her up he carried her to the bed. Sweets walked in when Booth was carrying her to the bed. His eyebrow rose on one side. Booth stood up straight, grabbed the bag, and put it next to his chair.

Her laptop beeped and she opened it and double clicked the conference program.

"Hello Deputy Director Cullen. What can I do for you?"

"You can let me talk to Special Agent Booth."

"I can do that as long as you are aware that this line and location are not secure, she said.

"I am aware of that Dr. Brennan." She nodded and handed Booth her laptop. Digging in her bag, she pulled out a wad of cash.

"Dr. Sweets can you go get me a gado gado salad with tempeh and potatoes please? Last time I was in Jakarta there was a guy who sold a really good salad and tempeh on the same street as the hotel you are staying at."

"You want me to buy you food from a cart."

"Yes please." He shrugged and headed out the door. Booth smiled at her thanking her for her ability to get rid of Sweets. Booth propped his feet up on the end of her bed and had a thirty minute conversation with Cullen. Suddenly she heard Charlie Burns talking to Booth. Booth was digging around in his jacket pocket for a pen and came out with her panties instead.

She heard,

"Whooaaa Booth what have you been doing."

"Booth would you mind not hanging my panties on your finger for all of Hoover to see," Brennan said in a calm tone with her eyebrow raised. Grinning sheepishly, he put them down in the bag next to the chair.

"Sorry Bones it was an accident."

"Those belonged to Dr. Brennan? Hoo-boy I ll never look at her the same again."

"If you look at her at all I will shoot you Charlie."

"Yes sir" came the smart-ass reply.

"Hope to see you soon." She heard the connection close. Groaning she rubbed her forehead. He looked up and gave her the puppy dog eyes and she rolled her eyes. The doctor walked in.

"Good morning Dr. Brennan. How are you feeling this morning?"

"I am feeling satisfactorily thank you." The doctor pulled up her pant leg and checked the pulse in her leg. Checked the swelling and nodded.

"We are going to do another EMG and then we'll give you an hour and take a stroll down the hallway."

"Okay." The doctor walked out and she winced.

"You okay Bones?"

"No I really hate E.M.G.'s"

"You've had one before."

"My professor thought it was necessary for us to know what we were inflicting on other people. My lab partner was not paying attention and it did not feel good." Booth winced.

"I've never had one myself."

"It is not a pleasant experience." The nurse came in pushing a cart with a laptop and leads on it. Brennan rolled over, the nurse rolled up her pant leg. The nurse began placing needles in Brennan's leg. The door behind them opened and they heard Angela gasp. Brennan looked over her shoulder.

"Ange you may not want to be here for this." Angela nodded and went back to the waiting room.

"Booth you may not want to be here either." Booth snorted and rolled his chair up by her head. The doctor walked in and stopped.

"Agent Booth you may not want to be here for this." Booth glared at the doctor who fell silent immediately knowing this is a battle he would lose.

"Booth you really may not want to be here for this." Brennan said softly.

"Bones, I am not leaving you here to deal with the pain yourself." He said just as softly.

She clenched up suddenly grinding her teeth in pain. Booth reached out and grabbed her hand. She relaxed, the suddenly his hand was squeezed in a tight grip that almost broke his knuckles. This went on for another ten minutes. Booth's heart squeezed tight and pain shot through his chest every time she clenched in pain. The last two charges that shot in her leg caused her to grind her teeth and squeeze her eyes closed.

Tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes.

Booth whispered near her ear "shhhh. It's almost over, breathe."

Booth glared over his shoulder at the doctor. She let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Are you finished yet?"

"Yes we are done. There will be a slight sting as we pull the needle out."

"Booth you can go get Angela now please. Besides you need to go get some sleep you didn't sleep last night." Booth was ready to argue and she looked at him. He nodded and stood up. The doctor chuckled and she looked over at him in question.

"You are like my wife. She can speak without saying a word. However it is interesting that you two can have an entire conversation without saying a word." Brennan looked at the doctor.

"We are partners; we have worked together for five years. We are best friends maybe more but we have never tried it."

"Okay I will go look this test over and come back in a few minutes with your results." She nodded.

The door opened and Angela walked in.  
"So I hear we will be taking a walk today." She smiled.

"I am hoping that this will let them discharge me. You know how I feel about hospitals."

"So Sweets tells me that you and Booth took a shower earlier today," Angela said with a huge grin. Brennan rolled her eyes.

"Sweets is incorrect. I took a shower, Booth just helped."

"So agent studly saw you naked. This is getting good."

"No, he never saw me naked. He was a gentleman about the whole thing."

"Sweetie you need to take advantage of the situation." Angela laughed out. The doctor walked back in and caught the two women laughing. Walking to the end of the bed he flipped open the medical file.

"The test results are good so now we go for a walk to see if your leg functions as it should." Nodding Brennan swung her legs around the side of the bed and stood up. She leaned against the bed and put pressure on her leg. The pressure was irritating but not painful. Taking a step forward she wobbled. Angela reached out her hand and Brennan used her hand to steady herself.

They walked slowly to the door with the doctor following behind. Brennan walked down the hall and back. The doctor followed them back into the room. Brennan sat in a chair glad to be out of the bed.

"Okay we will check the swelling tomorrow and if it is still going down we will discharge you with exercises for your leg." Brennan grinned in relief.

"Thank you doctor. I would like a complete copy of my files including copies of the test results. Not an interpretation but the actual results." The doctor nodded and left the room.

"So Bren how are you planning on telling Booth that you love him and when?" Brennan grinned and said.

"Hand me my bag." Angela handed her the bag. Brennan dug around in the bag and pulled out a book. She handed Angela a book titled Reign of Bones. Angela squealed.

"This is your new book. Is it for me?"

"No that is for Booth. I am giving him an early release copy. Read the dedication page."

Angel flipped to the dedication and squealed again. The page read.

_**To Special Agent Seeley Booth, who taught me to put my heart in over drive. Who taught me that even if it is not empirical does not mean it is not true. I love you.**_

"Oh my god sweetie when did you write this dedication page?"

"I changed my dedication page two weeks after I arrived in Maluku. I thought about him every day. He was the first thing that popped into my mind in the morning. When I was at home, it was the lab. But I knew that I would see him at the lab. I thought about him every night before I went to sleep. At home, I did not do that because I knew the next day that I would see him. Evident that I missed him more than I had believed I would. The evidence stated the truth."

"Oh sweetie this is so awesome." Angela was practically bouncing in her seat.

The next day rolled around and the discharge papers were drawn up. Booth ushered her into a cab and they made their way to the hotel. When they entered the suite, she heard a cheer and saw everyone was there. They had thrown a party for her. She smiled and slowly made her way into the room with Booth supporting her. They sat down and had some food when Hodgins made a point.

"Okay we now have six people in a three room hotel and only two of us are sharing a bed we need to reshuffle. Obviously, Dr. B can't sleep on the couch. So how do you want to do this?" He said laughing.

"I know Sweets and Booth can share a room and Cam can take the couch.

"I don't even think so," Booth growled out. Brennan looked at Cam.

"Cam would you care about sharing a bed with me?" Cam shook her head no and they nodded.

"Cam and I in one room, Booth in the other and Sweets can take the couch." Everyone looked around and nodded.

"Since my jet is already at the airport we can take that home. We can leave tomorrow if everyone is okay with that." Everyone agreed.

"Okay if we leave by 4pm we should get home by six last night."

"It's like time travel." Sweets said.

"You are such a geek," Booth laughed.

"Well before we leave Jakarta I would like to go shopping. Cam, Angela shall we?" Brennan smiled.

"Oh my god Brennan wants to go shopping. What are we going to be looking at?"

"I need some qwazee coats and some shoes and there are a couple of jewelry places here I like."

"This is where you get the qwazee coats Bren? Nice let's go." Angela squealed.

"I need to save my money." Cam argued. Brennan laughed.

"Right now one US dollar is equal to nine thousand Rupiahs. Given the current economy here a qwazee coat should cost you about five dollars." Cam whistled.

"We are going shopping." The girls left and the guys sat down to watch some football.

"Do I even want to know what a gwazee coat is?" Booth muttered. Hodgins chuckled.

"Better if you don't."

*********************************************************************

Four hours later the door opened and the women fell into the door laughing.

"You didn't buy anything."

They looked at each other and laughed even harder. Angela pulled open the door and two porters pushing a cart each loaded down with bags. Booth's eyes got wide and the girls continued to laugh.

"Empty my bank account baby?"

"Nope, I barely touched my allowance." He shook his head. Booth looked again

"So how much exactly did you guys spend?" Brennan raised her eyebrows.

"I spent about 250 dollars, Ange spent about the same, and Cam spent about 100 dollars."

"And you got all of that." She grinned at him.

"Dr. Brennan is a master shopper. I am so taking them when I go shopping for clothes in D.C. I spent one quarter of my clothing allowance and got six times more than I would have at home." Cam stated with conviction. Brennan grinned at Cam.

"Now you will be wondering where I disappear to on the weekends you can't reach me." The women laughed at her and started sorting bags. Walking over to Booth, she dropped a bag in his lap. Walking back to the cart she started to dig again, she walked over to Sweets and dropped at bag in his lap as well. She and Cam started carting their bags to the rooms.

When they got to the bottom of the first cart, they each grabbed a piece of luggage and rolled it to their rooms. Booth sat there laughing thinking to himself that this was a Brennan he had never seen. Sweets was digging in his bag he pulled out two shirts.

Sweets held the one up one of the shirts in front of him.

"Wow Dr. Brennan these are awesome. Thank you. Look at these colors and this is what kind of fabric is this?"

"That one is silk and the other is pure untreated cotton."

Booth looked into his bag, he saw two shirts but there was something else. He dug further into the bag and pulled out four sets of socks in colors he had never seen before. Laughing and holding them up.

"Thanks Bones these socks they are awesome." She nodded and continued sorting through bags. The porters took their carts and left when they were cleared off. They went out to dinner and came back. Piling in around the T.V they watched some sit coms. Brennan was sitting on the end of the couch. Booth sat between Angela and Brennan; Angela sat next to Booth on the far end of the couch.

Hodgins and Sweets stretched out in the floor. Cam sat in the seat next to the couch. Brennan had her leg, which had started to swell, propped up in Booth's lap. When everyone started drooping, they all trooped off to their rooms. The next morning everyone stumbled out for coffee one by one. Booth and Brennan were the first up and had coffee made.

They were sitting next to the counter in the kitchenette; Brennan had her leg propped up on the third stool, drinking coffee. The day passed quickly while they packed and got ready to leave. Brennan made a phone call she looked around and everyone else was ready finishing what she was doing she hung up. Picking up the phone, she called for three cabs. When they got down stairs Hodgins went to check out turned in the keys and returned to the group standing there.

"Dr. B you did not have to pay for the room and food."

"Well you came to see me. Logically I should show some appreciation."

"Sweetie money was not important, that was not necessary." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Well it is complete now so shall we leave. The cabs are here." They piled into the cabs with their luggage.

*******************  
Two hours later found them in the air on Hodgins jet.

* * *

**A/N: Yes I know how much EMG's really suck. Hated mine and wish I could say I'll never have one again.**  
**A qwazee coat is a form fitted tunic generally used in belly dancing.**

**Reviews are welcomed, appreciated and enjoyed.**


	4. Flying Home

_Two hours later found them in the air on Hodgins jet._

* * *

Opening her bag, Brennan walked over to Booth.

"I know you don't enjoy flying I thought you might like something to do." She handed him the copy of Reign of Bones. He took the book and his eyebrows climbed into his hairline.

"Thank you Bones. I feel special that you would let me read it before release." He heard Angela mutter,

"You have no idea." Brennan glared at her and walked back to her seat, propped her leg up and plugged her laptop and began studying the pictures from the dig site. Angela came and sat down next to her. They both sat there waiting and waiting. Angela glanced over. Booth was halfway through the first chapter. Angela sighed leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"He didn't read the dedication." Brennan snorted and rolled her eyes. Booth looked over at her snort. Angela giggled and left. Brennan fidgeted as the flight continued.

"Bones, do you have ants in your pants?"

"I don't know what that means. But to answer to the best of my ability I am not aware of having any insects in my pants."

"Sweetie he means you re fidgety." Brennan began humming under her breath. Closing the pictures, she opened her word document and started typing. She lost track of time but noticed when the plane started to go down to land. She looked up and heard Hodgins say.

"Just a refuel, if you all want to hit the airport or whatever." Brennan hit the save file button and then disembarked, looking around she realized they were in Spain. Walking to the restaurant, she sat down and Booth joined her. He opened the menu and groaned. She smiled

"I'll order just trust me."

"Bones no healthy crap," he warned her.

"You know that I know that you do not eat as healthy as me." The waiter arrived and he watched as she ordered in Spanish. The waiter said a few things and she said thank you. One of the few things he did recognize.

"What was that all about?"

"He complemented me on my Spanish as well as my accent." She smiled as the group piled into the booth around them. Laughing they squeezed Booth and Brennan together in the middle.

"Anyone else need me to order for them?" She laughed as they nodded.

"Jeez didn't you guys have to take a foreign language in college?" Booth asked with a grin, everyone stopped and stared at him then began laughing. Cam laughed out,

"The only Spanish I know shouldn't be used in polite company." The waiter came back when he noticed new people at the table. She rapidly fired out an order pointing to each in turn. The waiter nodded replied quickly and left.

"Enjoying that book Booth?"

"Yes I am."

"I see you re into the third chapter. Where did you start reading it?"

"Ange," Brennan hissed. Booth raised his eyebrows.

"I started at Chapter one like most normal people," he replied. He looked around the table

"I start with comments, dedications, and acknowledgments. It's amazing what you find out about the author there," Angela said with a mischievous smile.

"Me too," the rest of them agreed.

Booth laughed. "Okay Okay I'll read it from the very beginning after I finish it the first time. Because there's always something new to learn about Bones," Booth said sarcastically.

Angela rolled her eyes and tried to control her laughter. The food arrived and they dug in. Sharing around on everyone's plates, they discussed the food and Hodgins awesome jet.

"Bones your ordering skills are awesome," Booth said around a mouthful of food. He heard a round of agreement from everyone at the table.

"I am observant by nature and knowing Spanish food as I do. I simply compared what I knew of your personalities to the food."

"Anyone else feel like a science experiment?" Sweets asked. Brennan just laughed and narrowed her eyes at him. He blushed and ducked his head. Booth looked back and forth between Sweets and Brennan, wondering what was going on. They finished their meals then they loaded back up on the plane and continued on to Washington DC.

**********************************************************************************************************

They arrived at Dulles International Airport at 7 p.m.; walking through the terminal, they saw someone holding a sign that said Booth and Squints. Booth burst into laughter and headed over.

"Charlie did you have to put squints there?" Charlie looked over at the squint squad. He looked from one to the other.

"They don't look like squints." He whistled and wiggled his eyes at Brennan.

"Agent Burns," she said in warning while she glared at him. They walked out to the parking garage and found two SUV's.

"Here are your keys Booth. Cullen expects both of you in the morning 7 am sharp. I'm taking the squints home."

"I have my car in long term parking. I'll take you home Dr. Sweets," Cam said with a smile.

"Come on Bones your with me," Booth said. They climbed into their respective vehicles.

"You are not taking me home. You have another stop to make," Brennan pointed out.

"I do?"

"Yes you need to see Parker. Let's go" He looked at her and saw the mutinous expression and sighed. He turned the SUV and headed in the right direction. They pulled into the driveway and they saw the door open and Rebecca step into the door. Booth got out and turned to look at her. She nodded and shooed with her hands.

Sitting back, she turned on the battery and started flipping through the channels. An hour later, she pulled her bag into her lap. She pulled out a granola bar and tea she had bought at the duty free shop. After she finished she looked around. Reaching over she turned the truck on and let it run for five minutes. Turning it off she pulled out her laptop and plugged it into the cigarette lighter plug. Booting up she began to write again.

*********************************************

As usual when she wrote she became involved in her story and jumped when he opened his door. He sat down and turned the truck on.

"Thank you Bones. I needed that." She looked up at him and smiled.

"I know. Now let s go home." A look passed across his face as he remembered his apartment was sublet.

"I know your apartment is still sublet. You can stay with me."

"No I don't want to put you out."

"I don't know what that means."

"I don't want to be an inconvenience."

"Booth you are not an inconvenience. So just stay."

"Okay fine," he slowly agreed. Half an hour later, they stopped in front of Brennan's apartment. He put the truck in park and turned it off.

"Okay I'll be right back I have to get the key from my landlord. She walked slowly into the building and came out a few minutes later. He climbed out of the SUV and walked to the back. Opening it up he slung her pack over his shoulder and grabbed his duffle in his hand, suitcase it the other and followed her to the elevator. When they reached the second floor, she told him

"I had cleaning services come in every week so everything will be clean but there's no food," she told him briskly as they walked down the hallway. Shoving her key in the door, she opened it. Booth followed her in and set his duffel next to the couch. He carried hers to her bedroom and set it on the bed. Her apartment looked like it had never been left. He came back into the living room and sat on the couch.

"Okay dinner time." He picked up the phone and heard a dial tone. He dialed their favorite Thai restaurant and ordered. He was surprised he remembered the number, after ordering he sat back to wait. She sat on the couch next to him. He looked at her and watched her think wondering what was going on in that genius mind.

Their orders arrived, they ate dinner, and they talked about their time apart. He told her he had briefly seen someone but she was not for him. She told him about fighting guerilla army men in the jungles. Before they knew it, it was time to sleep. She left him on the couch with a pillow and a blanket.

******************************************************************************

At 5am, her alarm clock went off. She let it go off for a minute then hit the snooze button. She heard Booth push her door open.

"Bones time to get up."

"mpmmhh" was all he heard. He laughed lightly, opened the door, walked over to the bed, and almost groaned out loud. She was sleeping in a tee shirt, which had ridden up above her hips and displayed a good length of leg and a lot more.

"Alright alright. I'll go shower and then come back again for you," he told her. Walking back out to the living room, he grabbed his duffel and headed to the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later he left the bathroom dressed in a tee shirt, face shaved, hair spiked and ready to face the day. He strode into her bedroom again.

"Come on Bones chop-chop," he called out clapping his hands. She glared out from under her pillow. She saw his smile and couldn't help but smile at his happiness to be home. She groaned out loud and tossed back the covers. She stood up and watched as he tripped over himself to get out of her bedroom. She grabbed her bag and a set of clothes from her closet and pulled the bag off of them.

She headed to the bathroom to shower and get ready. Twenty-five minutes later, she limped out and found him sitting on the couch. He turned and looked at her and smiled. It was the smile that caused her heart to skip a beat and her stomach to flutter.

"Let's get this started," he said.

They climbed into the SUV and headed to the Hoover first. Arriving they rode the elevator up to criminal investigations. Stepping off the chatter on the floor stopped. He looked around then at Brennan.

"They must be staring at you because they've seen me before," he whispered at her. She gave a chuckle.

"I do not know who they are looking at. They have obviously seen both of us over the last five years. We need to get to the Deputy Directors office. So let's go." They walked towards Cullen's office with Brennan limping slightly on her leg. Charlie approached them and said,

"There's been another one, the remains were sent to the Jeffersonian. I've been talking to Cam. Nothing is being touched until you guys get there."

"Another one? Booth something you should tell me?" She glared and Booth nodded then continued to move. Booth knocked on the Deputy Directors door and waited for admittance. He finally heard a call to enter. He opened the door and held it open for Brennan who stepped in.

Cullen looked up, his eyes were blood shot, and his hair stood on end. He looked as if he hadn't slept in two weeks.

"Oh thank you lord. I am glad to see you two. Even though you have been a pain in my ass since you've started working here. But you've been gone for almost a year and I've found that I miss that pain in my ass. Now that everything has gone to hell I'm glad to have back." He tossed Booth's gun and badge on the desk.

"I need you in the field ASAP; there is a new body other than the one yesterday. We're up to eight agents in three weeks."

"Dr. Brennan is not yet ready for the field sir," Booth stated and she glared at him. "However I do have an idea," he continued.

He put his fingers in a steeple and set his chin on the tips of his fingers. He would never tell anyone, that even though he didn't originally like her, Dr. Temperance Brennan was a damned fine woman. A good partner, a good consultant and a good friend obviously. He was going to put more money in the pool for sometime in the next month.

"Well Special Agent Booth why do I get the distinct feeling that I am not going to be happy with what you have up your sleeve." Booth looked Cullen in the eyes.

"You have a traitor in the bureau. You know it and I know it. He heard her gasp

"Every since I've heard everything something feels off. I don't need to see the evidence. My gut says it's not here but it may be a correspondent or some form therein. I'm going to put the Jeffersonian on complete security lock down. Since this is an internal affairs issue I will need to be able to pay for things. They aren't charging us for services or anything like that. However, I need money for air mattresses and personal items. I'm telling my squints to pack clothing for a week. Everything else will be provided. Everything else bath items food etcetera will be paid for by the FBI. Someone I trust at the Jeffersonian will be setting up a closed circuit security in the offices. Which means everything in the offices will be taped however; they will be under password protection on an unconnected computer."

Cullen nodded and sighed.

"I had been thinking the same thing. All security procedures I have set up have been bypassed. This actually is a good idea. Is there anyone you trust as a courier?"

"No if I want information from here either I or one of the squints will come get it," Booth told him. Cullen nodded again.

"So this will be starting tomorrow?"

* * *

**Reviews are always appreciated!**


	5. Who is staying

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. No infringement intended.

* * *

"Now if you would be so kind I need any and all evidence you have that is not at the Jeffersonian. Including the video tapes. I know you have them but I need them. Angela can make them do things I've never seen before. She's the best," Booth said.

Cullen sighed.

"Why doesn't she work here then?" Booth rolled his eyes trying to imagine Angela working for the FBI.

"Because at heart she's a squint, Booth said with a grin.

"We have squints working here we call them the forensic team."

"No what you have are squint wannabes. The squinterns are even squintier than the forensics team," Booth chuckled. Cullen stood up and left the room. Booth leaned his elbows on his knees and stared blankly across the top of Cullen's desk. Brennan glared at him after this conversation.

"Are you going to tell me what this is about?" Booth nodded slowly.

"I'm kidnapping the squints we're putting the Jeffersonian under lock down. Of course it's voluntary but I know you guys." He smiled. She sighed and her teeth tugged at her bottom lip.

"Are we going to have to sleep on the floor?" He burst out laughing. Out of all the things to be worried about she was worried about sleeping on the floor.

"No." They sat in companionable silence when the door opened. Cullen was carrying a plastic filing box that was full in each hand. He placed them next to the door in two chairs.

"Now you and the squints fix this and do it quick."

Taking their cue the pair stood up took a box each and with grim looks on their faces, they walked to the elevator. After they had gotten on the elevator, a young agent looked at Charlie.

"Who was that and why do they look so angry."

"Those are the people who are going to save the FBI and they get grim when it's time to get down to business. They've been gone for a year now but you have just witnessed the comeback of Special Agent  
Seeley Booth and his partner Dr. Temperance Brennan."

"The author?"

"The forensic anthropologist from the Jeffersonian Institution, the genius, the head squint, the love of her partner's life. Speaking of which I wonder if they've figured that out yet? If you're not in on the pool you need to get in on it now that they're back. When they left it was up to 8,000.00 wonder what it's up to now." Charlie stood up and went to get coffee.

Arriving at the Jeffersonian Booth and Brennan walked into the lab and stopped. It was busy and bustling almost like nothing had changed. Hodgins was on the platform sitting behind a microscope. Cam was in her office; Wendell was bent over a skeleton in Limbo. There were new faces dotted all over the place.

"Cam the FBI needs the squint squad's help. We need to hijack the lab and put it on lock down. Completely voluntary of course but something is rank at the Hoover and I need a secure space that I can protect everyone in. Agents are dying." Cam looked at his face.

"Let me make a phone call." She disappeared into her office.

"Okay hate to break this up but don't you guys have two bodies to look at?" He shot Brennan a look, picked up a file case, and headed to her office whistling as he went. She followed carrying the second one. When she walked in her office was a jumble. She could tell someone else had been using her office but had cleared out in the last two weeks.

She noticed a skeleton chart on the desk. Picking it up she recognized the writing on it. Wendell had been using her office. She was glad it was someone she had known who was in her space. Booth began moving things around to suit his tastes.

"Bones you mind if I make room for another desk in here. I'm going to need the space. I have no idea how long this is going to take." She nodded and picked up her lab coat putting it on she buttoned it up and headed to the platform. Standing at the bottom, she waited for someone to swipe her through. Wendell walked down the stairs and swiped his card. Smiling he bowed her through.

She walked up on the platform and stared at the two agents on platform. She looked around for Cam. Cam walked out of her office. Walking to the platform, she walked up to the group.

"Staff meeting five minutes in the lounge." She continued walking around to groups of scientists all throughout the lab. By the time, she got to the last group everyone else was already there.

"Let's go Seeley," she called out, Staff meeting in the lounge right now." As he stepped out of the door, she fell in step with him.

"They gave me complete control over the entire lab. I am turning security over to you. Set this up as you see fit."

They entered the lounge together. Booth looked around and saw about 30 people there. He knew about 10 of them. He clapped his hands together.

"Okay for those of you who don't know me I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth. I work for the homicide division of the FBI. I am the liaison between the Jeffersonian and the FBI. My squint half is Dr. Temperance Brennan who I refer to as Bones. For the 20 of you I don't know there has been a sudden influx of people who have been away for the last year. And I understand there is some confusion. I have asked everyone here because I have a problem. More specifically the FBI has a problem, which means the American public has a problem. I cannot go into specifics but due to security but the Head of the Jeffersonian has turned entire control over to Cam."

Some of the scientists looked around confused and Booth rolled his eyes.

"Dr. Saroyan that is. She has put me in charge of this case. Here is the deal if you work on this case you will be in danger. So as of 6 am tomorrow, I am putting the Medico-Legal Lab on complete lock down. It is up to you whether you want to come in tomorrow. If you do decide to join us, make sure you pack enough clothes for a week. No need for formal office wear, this is going to be a long and hard case as a lot of the evidence is back logged and we need to go over it all again. You won't have to sleep on the floor. I remember spending that Christmas here. Clothes, make up, and towels only all other things you need will be paid for by FBI. Shampoo, body wash, food etc. If you decide, you want to come bring with you a list. Also all cell phone communication will be cut off; you will be turning in your cell phones to me at the door. The only people coming or going from this lab will be either Bones or I this is for your own security. Today I ask that you do not speak with any other FBI agent that comes through here. They will be delivering evidence of eight other bodies of victims other than the two you currently have. They will also be delivering dirt, I mean soil, particulates for you bug-man. We have pictures and video for you Angela." He looked around.

"I think that's about it. Oh and your clothing will be x-rayed before being released to you when and if you come back. Cam they're all yours."

"Okay people I should remind you if you decide not to show up you will not be paid for the time the lab is locked down unless you're here."

"Cam that is not voluntary" Booth shouted as he was walking back to Brennan's office. Brennan stood up and followed him down. She heard everyone talking as she left. One by one, they began to filter back to their jobs.

Brennan sat down at the desk and began putting it back together. Though truth be told, there wasn't much that had been moved. Angela and Hodgins strolled into the office. Angela looked at Jack they nodded. Booth looked up and they nodded to him. He scribbled down something on his note pad. He then set out two note pads to keep track of things.

Cam walked in, Booth looked up she nodded. He scribbled down on each pad.

One by one the squint squad had walked in and said yes. A lot of the new people had decided to join excited to be part of an FBI case. They were kind of excited about working with FBI on a murder.

Booth looked up in surprise when Clark walked in the door and nodded.

Brennan smiled "Looks like Cam has called everyone."

Over the next few hours Fisher, Vincent, and Arastoo had all checked in and said yes.

Booth looked over the list and sighed. They heard and knock on the door and looked up.

"Well well well the twelve year old came in off the playground.

"Smart ass." Lance said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Cullen sent me over as a profiler and due to your security measures I was told I had to check in with you to let you know I'd be staying here."

Booth nodded and groaned. Brennan just smiled and went back to her computer. Booth sat on the couch writing and counting for most of the rest of the day.  
One by one lists filtered in and he began writing everything in a logical order for a shopping list.

Lunchtime rolled around and a box from Wong Fu's has arrived with a note attached.

_Booth,_  
_Had a feeling you might need this. The doc's food is here too. Come by for lunch, bring the doc, when your done with whatever has you holed up._

_Sid_

Booth smiled, passed Brennan her food and sat down to eat his, continuing to write.

The silence was not uncomfortable and Booth realized that they had not said a word for the better part of five hours. They heard the lab doors open with a swish and the immediate sound of voices filled the lab. Brennan stood up and walked out into the lab with Booth following behind. Brennan and Cam were signing for the bodies, Hodgins for the particulates, and he stepped up to sign for all the other evidence.

He held the sheet until all the boxes were left on the floor. He scanned the sheet. Frowning he walked up to an agent.

"There's a box missing, I'm keeping the sheet until that box makes it here."  
The agent nodded and left saying he would be back in 30 minutes. Booth looked around.

"Hey Arastoo can you please put these boxes in Bones office?"

"Yep I'll take care of that right now." When he walked back to Brennan's office he realized his back was stiff. Grabbing his paper work, he sat at her desk. Standing up he walked up to the platform and swiped his card that Cam had given him out of her desk. He smiled. She could try as hard as she might to be a tough cop she was a softie. She had kept their cards active in her desk for a year.

"Cam I'm going to need a desk can that be arranged."

"Yes Booth I'll make the call as soon as I'm done here."

"Thanks Cam."

Booth headed back to Brennan's office. Brennan walked into her office and looked at Booth hunched over her desk.

"Booth if we are able to access the FBI database and get information on you? What about Parker and Rebecca? What about my father and Russ? I will call them they need to get here in protective custody."  
Booth jerked his head up he hadn't thought about the dirty agents being able to get his file.

"Bones I can take care of this."

"Call Rebecca and I will go call my father and Russ." As Brennan walked out the door, he picked up the phone and made the call. After fighting with Rebecca and winning, he hung up the phone. Brennan walked back into the office grimacing.

"That was not a fun call," Brennan muttered.

"I'm going to pick up Becks and Parks in an hour," Booth told her.

"I'll go and take the Sequoia and get the items we will need for tomorrow while you get everything together." Booth thought a moment and nodded.

Three hours later Brennan returned to Rebecca's with the Sequoia loaded down to the max with purchases. Booth came out of the house, gave Parker a hug. Parker waved to her and she waved back.

"Rebecca and Parker would you mind staying with me at my apartment for tonight? The lock down doesn t start until tomorrow." Brennan asked.

"That would be nice thank you Temperance."

"Cool we get to stay at Bones house?"

"Yeah bub you do," Booth said with a smile.

"Okay we will go back to the apartment so you can shower before you have to use the decontamination shower. It can be a little disturbing at first." Booth nodded and smiled.

The sun rose and shined in through the windows onto the couch. Booth groaned and rubbed his face. Getting up he started coffee. He heard the shower running. He sorted through his boxes quickly he found what he needed. Throwing it into his bag, he continued sorting through what she had brought. He shoved a few pictures, his lucky poker chip and her book back into the bag.

He picked out his clothes for the day. He heard the shower stop and saw Brennan sneak by in a towel and took a deep breath.  
Inhaling and exhaling Booth closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

This was going to be a long week.

* * *

**A/N Sorry about the huge long speaking sections had to be done. **

**Reviews are appreciated. Tell me what you think, like, hate whatever...just tell me.**


	6. How long?

Disclaimer: I don't own it, not making money with it and no copy right infringement intended.

* * *

He quickly showered and got dressed. He came out to find Rebecca, Parker and Bones having breakfast. Brennan handed him a cup of coffee and sat back down. He made a plate of pancakes for himself and ate. By the time, he was finished everyone was packed and ready to go. Grabbing bags, he took them down to the SUV and they followed him out on the last trip.

"Jeez Bones what did you buy the entire store?"

"No Booth that would be illogical I bought what you asked and a few amenities to make the stay not quite as bad. They are volunteering to put their lives on hold I can at least make them comfortable. I kept the receipts separate so you can turn the necessities into the FBI."

Bones had a big heart most definitely he smiled to himself.

Four hours later found them finishing up checking in the squints, Max, Russ and his family, Rebecca and Parker.

"Bones, we're short one bed. And since I left mine for last I have no bed." He ran his fingers through his hair.

"No you re sleeping on the couch in my office. The air mattress is not good for your back." Booth sighed and rolled his eyes.

He stalked to her office sat down at the other desk that was placed in her office and started mapping out the sleeping arrangements. By dinnertime, the squints had finished taking samples off two bodies meticulously labeling everything. Cam was beginning the autopsy on the first body. Booth grimaced at the look and smell of the body from the Van.

Booth hollered, "Sleeping arrangements are posted on Cam's door if you don't like them suck it up and deal with it."  
Hodgins laughed as he walked by.

"HEY! Why do Hodgins and Angela get her office to themselves and we have five and six to other rooms," one of the graduate students called out. Booth turned around and grinned.

"Trust me when I say you do NOT want to sleep in the same room as those two, he said wiggling his eyebrows in their direction "I honestly don't think they sleep."

"And that would be why you and Dr. Brennan are sharing her office?" One of the new scientist snarked at him.

Booth's eyes narrowed in anger and Rebecca gasped and glared at Booth.  
"What would your name be intern?" Booth asked in a low tone stalking towards him.

"G-man calm down, he doesn't know he doesn't understand." Angela tried to calm Booth down.

"I am Jake Slater. Graduate student to Dr. Wendell Bray." Booth glared and stepped closer.

"Well Mr. Slater, you WILL show Dr. Brennan the respect she deserves by NEVER repeating that again. What goes on between my partner and me is none of your business. Do not go there Angela nothing is going on. However, this little intern needs to learn his place. Cam get this child under control before I kill him. He's not even worthy of being a squintern."

"Daddy, why is that squintern being mean to Bones? Are you really going to kill him?"

"I don't know Parker," he leaned down and whispered in his ear. Parker s eyes got wide and he looked at Slater.

"You should run my daddy doesn't like you. And I don't like you your being mean to Bones."  
Feeling he had fairly warned him, he walked off. Brennan stepped up looking down on him with an icy glare.

"My sexual life is none of your business. I do not appreciate you theorizing on it. And I will talk to Wendell about your behavior," she gritted out and stalked back to her office. Booth saw the tears in her eyes he stalked quickly after her.

"Bones slow down." He stopped at the entry to the hallway turned around and glared at James Slater. He entered her office and closed the door. The scientists shuffled around the lab unsure about their situation.

"Alright everyone lounge NOW! Angela hollered and pointed up to the lounge. She watched as they shuffled up to the lounge. Entering the lounge, she strode to stand in front of the tables.

"Hi I am Angela Montenegro-Hodgins. As Booth said yesterday, some of us are unfamiliar to you. So I am going to be as nice about this as possible. Those two are partners and only partners until they say otherwise. Those two have been to hell and back together and you will not find better partners anywhere. You will not attack Bren in any form or Booth will kill you. As you saw, he is VERY protective of her. She is the same, if you go after Booth she will shoot you no questions asked. Now the rest of Brennan's Brain trust is just as protective of each other. Over the last five years, we have become family. We have no problems adding to our family but actions like that is not a good way of doing it."

She smiled at them.  
"Do we understand each other? Good now Mr. Slater go and apologize now."

She stalked away from the lounge, Hodgins and Rebecca stood there grinning. Everyone quickly scattered. Angela made her way to the office. She found Booth and Brennan standing in her office. She smiled and asked.

"What can I do for you two?"

"I need the Angelator to be disconnected from the Jeffersonian servers. And I need the cameras in the offices to be run through it as well." Angela nodded.

"The angelator has always been on it is its own free standing server. I can scramble the IP, which will allow us outside connection without any problems with being found. I had them put the connection on a completely different company. So if someone is looking for it they're going to have to look hard." Booth nodded and walked back to Brennan's office. Angela looked at Brennan.

"Bren is he okay? He seems really upset."

"He's having a hard time this case is personal. And he can't be out in the field because of this lock down. Which is making him crankier." Brennan turned around and followed him into her office. She found him slumped on the couch.

She sat down next to him.  
"Hey," He just looked at her with a sad smile.

"I told you we are going to get whoever is doing this. We've just started gathering evidence. We will get them," she promised and Booth nodded.

"I'm going to need one of those rolling carts you keep your instruments on."

"Anything else?"

"Folders, a box of them please," he asked.

She nodded and left the room. Booth opened a box and began sorting. A few minutes later Vincent came in pushing a cart with a box of folders on it. He left quietly for once not giving out useless information.

On the platform, Brennan and Cam stood over the first body from Houston. They heard the platform alarm going off. Turning Cam saw Parker coming up the steps.  
Rushing forward she leaned down.

"Parker you should not be up here okay? We have remains up here and you are not quite old enough to see that. Okay? I need you to go either to Angela's office or with your mom," she told him with a smile.

Parker nodded solemnly and left the platform. Turning back around she went back to where Brennan stood.  
"Here was where the bullet entered. Wait they left the bullet in here," Cam sighed and muttered about stupid coroners.

She used forceps to pull the bullet out and dropped it on an evidence tray.  
"Clark please take this over to Hodgins to swab for particulates. I know this is going to make you uncomfortable Clark but we are going to have interpersonal discussions especially since we're sleeping here."

"I understand," he told her with a half smile.

Cam went back to the body.  
"Dr. Brennan why don't you go help Booth. I'll send someone to get you when this body is ready for you. We'll do this one body at a time." Brennan nodded.

She looked at her watch and frowned. No one had eaten lunch and it was almost dinnertime. Walking into her office, she picked up her phone and made a local pizzeria owner very happy.

"What can I do to help?" She asked sitting next to him on the couch.

"You can sort through any of these boxes. Pictures go in a folder with case number and name or location on them. Particulates jars are on the top shelf. Regular paper work labeled same as pictures go on my desk. We'll sort through those later." She nodded and sat down on the couch pulled open a box grabbed some folders and started sorting.

An hour later, there was a knock on her door. She looked up Wendell stood in the door.  
"There is a security guard at the door with pizza."

Brennan nodded and got up Booth followed. They opened the door and stepped out with the security guard. They opened and inspected each pizza and box one by one. A few minutes later, they were done and re-entered the lab. Walking to limbo, they pushed enough examination tables together for everyone to eat. They had some graduate students gather up stools and place them around the tables. Brennan went to her office and grabbed the paper plates she had bought and carried them to the table.

"Chow's on" Booth said. He grabbed two slices and headed back to the office. Brennan did the same. Continuing to work while they ate, they had finished three of the boxes by ten that night.

Booth stopped to stretch his back. Brennan started moving and organizing things.  
"Booth stop we've been at this for hours. The agents are not in danger. Whoever it is knows that the FBI has stopped investigating. We are going to do this right and screw whoever it is to wall." Booth smiled

"Nail him to the wall. Nail," he corrected her with a chuckle.

"I'm going to go grab my bed and sheets and bring them back here." She left the room pushing the cart with the particulates on it. She left the particulates on Hodgins tray next to his desk. She pushed the table over and grabbed up her bed and bed in a bag set as well as the last comforter left there and smirked.

She pushed the table back to her office picking up an air pump off the floor as she passed it. She tossed the comforter onto the couch and set her stuff down. She pushed the table out the door and left it next to Angela's door, which was closed.

She set her bed up in quick time and put the sheets on. She closed the blinds and grabbed her pajamas. She headed off to the bathroom to complete her evening routine. Running into Rebecca, she smiled. Walking back to her office she heard people softly whispering. Sweets glanced up as she walked past the room where he was sleeping in. Getting up he walked to the door. She stopped and looked at him.

"Thank you Dr. Brennan. The bed in a bag was really nice. I appreciate it for sure." Brennan smiled nodded and went back to her office. She knocked and entered when he said yeah. He turned and swallowed a groan. This he thought is going to be a really really long week.

"Bones this comforter is awesome. Did you get everyone one?"

"No they ran out of bed in a bag sets and I figured since you got a smaller bed you'd like it. I knew they wouldn't take it because it is nothing more than a comforter." Booth smiled.

"I really like it."

"I thought you would. Now go to sleep we have another long day tomorrow. Two more boxes plus the file boxes and I should have some remains tomorrow.

She set her computer to wake them up at five.

Booth jerked awake when the platform alarms went off two hours later. Snatching up his gun, he snuck out into the lab. Brennan hovered a few steps behind him. Angela and Hodgins stuck their heads out of the office. Brennan shooed them with her hands back into the office. Booth peeked around the corner and then sighed. The scientists had all started coming out of their respective sleeping places.

Booth stepped out and turned an unfamiliar person around.  
"Where is he sleeping at?"

Jake pointed to a room. Booth gently led him to that room and whispered,  
"What bed?" Jake pointed again.

Booth led the young scientist to the bed and gently pushed him down onto the bed. The young man rolled onto his stomach and started to snore. Booth walked out leaving him sleeping. Brennan walked in, pulled his blanket over him, and followed Booth back to her office. She crawled back into bed smiling at the image of Booth holding his gun in his boxers. She mentally filed the picture for later enjoyment.

She fell asleep with a smile on her face. Glancing over at her Booth smiled and wondered what she was smiling about. He drifted off wishing he were over there with her. What seemed like minutes but actually had been hours later her computer blared out something obnoxious.

Booth jumped to his feet and scraped his knee on the table. Cursing loudly he dropped back on the couch he looked at the scratch. I'll have to move that tomorrow night he thought. Brennan got up and looked blearily around. Going to the computer, she turned the alarm off. Stumbling out of the office, she headed up to the lounge and started two pots of coffee. Stumbling down the steps, she headed to the bathroom.

She passed Wendell on her way back to her office.  
"Good morning Dr. Brennan."

"Unnghh," she grunted at him and continued walking. Grabbing her shower stuff, she walked to the room with the decontamination shower and dropped the blinds when she entered. Swiftly showering she wrapped herself in a robe and headed back to her office. Booth crossed her path, she going to her office and he headed to the shower.

"You leave me any hot water Bones?"  
"That shower will always have hot water. It's designed to decontaminate." Booth rolled his eyes and grinned. She quickly dressed and picked up the phone. She called the diner and asked them a big favor.

Having been a loyal customer for many years, the manager agreed. She placed an order for eggs, french toast, pancakes, bacon, sausage, orange juice and donuts for forty-five people. She heard a knock on the door.

"You decent Bones?" She laughed.  
"Just a second," she pulled on her shirt "Now I am decent."

Booth entered and looked around wondering how they were going to deal with all this crap in her office.  
"Breakfast will be here in about hour," she told him and he nodded.

"Here take these over to limbo," she said as she handed him a large box of plastic cutlery. While he was doing that, she leaned the air mattress up against the wall. Folded the comforter, placed it across the back of the couch, and did the same with Booth s. She pushed both their duffel bags under the couch and sat down at her desk to put on her makeup. She went up to the lounge and found Rebecca, Parker, Angela, Hodgins, Cam and Booth sitting on the couch.

Angela grinned at her and waved her over to them. She flopped down next to Booth and put her head on his shoulder. Rebecca and Parker sniggered at them. Booth raised one eyebrow at them. He handed Brennan a cup of coffee and picked his up off the arm of the couch. Cam just smiled. Wendell came up and sat down next to Cam.

"Are you awake Dr. Brennan?"  
"Unngghh" was the only answer he got. He laughed quietly.

"Somehow I always imagined you to be a morning person. You re always ready to go by the time we get here in the morning."  
"That's because she gets up at 5 am and is here by 6:30 at the latest. She's had at least two cups of coffee. This is her before coffee. I'm sure we'll learn a lot about each other over the next few days," Booth said laughingly.

"For example I never knew Byron was a sleep walker," Wendell said. They sat in silence until they heard a knock on the door. Brennan and Booth walked down to the door. She turned and got a cart and pulled it behind her. They stepped out in the hall and repeated last night's procedure. Brennan pushed the cart back into the lab and over to limbo. She set the food out and left the room.

Walking back to her office she down at her desk and began to sort again. After another hour or so, she heard the lab start to hum with activity. Booth walked in, set a glass of orange juice in front of her, walked over to his desk, and sat down. He began sifting through evidence sorting and piling. When the cart got full, she took the particulates to Hodgins and the pictures to Angela.

Returning with the cart, she sat down and continued to sort. She was so engrossed she didn't notice the time.

Cam knocked on the door.  
"Lunch is here."

They nodded and got up and walked out to find huge party subs lined up and cut on the tables. Bags of potato chips had been placed along side of them. They grabbed their food and sat down in the lounge to eat.

"Dr. Brennan the bones should be ready for you by two at the latest," Cam said and Brennan nodded.  
"I'll have Wendell do the x-rays and preliminary examination," Cam continued.

"That sounds satisfactory. I'll be in my office helping Booth as he continues to sort and label evidence," Brennan let her know.  
"How much more is there to sort Dr. B?" Hodgins asked. Brennan looked at Booth.

"Two boxes right?" Booth swallowed what he had in his mouth.  
"Two large boxes and two smaller file boxes. I'm not sure that there is much in those cases for you though. Those are more for Angela." He heard Angela groan. Hodgins over rode her groan with,

"Things were getting confusing for the new people who aren't used to working on more than one body at a time. We've color coded each victim so there are colored stickers on the jars and bags that have the case number written on them. The stickers will help lessen the confusion." Booth nodded.

"You know agent studly after last night every girl in the lab is drooling over you," Angela laughed. Rebecca snorted under her breath.

Brennan muttered under her breath hoping not loud enough for anyone to hear.  
"They can keep drooling."

Booth paused for a millisecond wondering if he had heard what he thought he heard. He pretended he didn't notice the comment. He grinned lazily and stated.  
"I am not available, so they can just keep drooling."

He felt her stiffen slightly then relax. They were headed back to her office when they were waylaid by a young scientist named Jennifer Sinclair who wanted to offer her services to help Booth with his sorting work. Booth saw something flash across Bones face that made him wonder.

He gently took her hands off his waist and pushed her back.  
"No thank you Ms. Sinclair. Bones and I have this under control."

"But I am younger and my stamina is much better. I can work longer than Dr. Brennan." Oh shit he thought he saw Brennan's eyes narrow.  
"As I recall Bones and I were the last to go to bed last night. Her stamina has already out lasted yours. So please go back to whatever job you have been assigned."

He did an about face and walked off leaving her glaring at Brennan.

Angela strolled up behind Jennifer and said bluntly.  
"That is way too much man for you. I'd give up right now because like I said Brennan will shoot you."

Two hours later found them still sorting when Wendell knocked on her door.  
"Dr. Brennan the first victim is ready."

Brennan nodded stood up and grabbed a lab coat. She walked onto the platform and starting with the skull, she picked it up in her hands. Turning it, she looked up.  
"Wendell where is the autopsy report?"

Wendell walked over to her and set it on the table next to her. She read down the report, set the skull down and picked up the clipboard with the preliminary report on it. Making a notation, she saw that Wendell had seen the same thing that she had.

The bullet had entered the skull distally, scraped the mandible, leaving a scratch on the zygomatic arch and exiting through the frontal bone. Leaving behind a comminuted fracture where the bullet exited the skull. Moving down the body, she saw remodeling on his arm. So the only damage was the shot to the head.

"Wendell I need you to get a mold of all three wounds and let me know when the second victim is ready." Wendell nodded. She snapped off her gloves and walked up to the platform. Swiping her card she walked up on the platform and over to Cam.

Cam looked up.  
"Hovering will not make this go quicker Dr. Brennan. I expect I will be finished getting samples and the autopsy by dinner time or 6 PM, whichever comes first."

Brennan nodded and left the platform. She walked back to her office and opened the door. Booth sat hunched over a huge pile of paper work shuffling. After glancing over the stacks she saw the order, grabbed another folder sat at her desk and sorted through the folder.

She finished quickly and efficiently, glancing up she saw that Booth was still working on his. She looked at him in disbelief how someone could do as much paperwork as he did and file that slow. She grabbed another folder and did the same thing cross stacking as she finished.

She moved through several folders before she realized he was sitting with his hands behind his head.  
"Booth aren't you suppose to be sorting paper work?"

"You re holding the last folder in your hand. Ms. Efficient," he teased her.  
"I made money as a grad student filing paper work for various offices all over campus, she explained.

"Well good maybe I can get you to organize my filing system back at the office," he said with a grin. She smirked at him.  
"You couldn t afford me. I'm looking for the paper work they had done showing who was sitting where in the trucks in the first shooting," she said looking up at Booth.

He sifted through paper work. Then he pulled out a piece of paper showing a rectangle with the agent s positions on it.  
"Do you have a blank one?"

"No but I can get one."  
"We'll need one for each truck and a list of the agents who were on each truck. I'm also going to need the injured men s x-rays and list of injuries."  
Booth nodded writing down what she needed and then went to Angela's office to use the angelator to get what he needed. He set the necessary papers in front of her and flopped down on the couch.

"It's weird when I don't have people to interrogate or leads to follow. It looks like you are doing all the work."  
"Right now we are Booth. We will get to a point where you will be needed it's just at this point we are gathering evidence. Normally you would be working on something from a previous case for Caroline. You should find something to do while you wait. "

Booth laughed under his breath muttering,  
"I did have something to do but you just finished it for me." She grinned at him and suggested,

"Well go read a book there's enough of them in here. Dinner will be arriving in a few hours."  
She sat down and started working on her book again. Transferring her previous chapters that she had worked on when she was on the plane.

She typed for another two hours not paying attention to anything other than her book. She had finished her first five chapters and sent them to her publisher when she felt like she was being stared at. Glancing over Booth was reading her book. She glanced at the door and saw Jake standing there.

"Can I help you Mr. Slater?" He gave her a condescending look.  
"You can let me sleep on your couch. I can give him a run for his money." Brennan sighed.

"I don't feel like fighting so I'm just going to let Booth beat you up. Booth will you beat him up?" Brennan went back to her computer.  
Booth strode across the room, snatched Jake up by his lab coat, and shook him like a wet dog. Booth dragged the squintern to the door squealing like a pig.

He patted him down removing everything except his underwear. Opening the door, he grabbed the back of his neck and shoved him out the door. He turned around and saw that everyone had stopped to stare. Dusting his hands off he walked back to the office, closed the door and locked it. He leaned on his fists on her desk and asked,

"How long?"

* * *

**Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated.**


	7. Test TIme

Disclaimer I don't own Bones Fox does.

** THANK YOU for the reviews.**

* * *

_He leaned on his fists on her desk and asked,_

_"How long?"_

* * *

"How long what? Please be more specific."

Walking back to the table in front of the couch he picked up her book. He dropped it on her desk in front of her.  
"How long have you realized that you love me? Not that I'm not ecstatic mind you."

"I spent about two months in Maluku thinking about you every day. When I realized that, my life was empty without you. You were the first thing I thought about in the morning and the last thing I thought about before I went to sleep. I could not say it was a chemical reaction in the brain logically since you were not there to stimulate the brain to release those chemicals. The only other answer I knew was love. I cannot guarantee 50 years from now because I do not know what will happen in the next few years. However, I can tell you that every day that I am with you I will love you. If it is to late then please tell me now."

She looked up at him her eyes full of many emotions. Booth walked around the desk and spun her chair around to face him. He leaned down and put his face in front of hers.  
"I love you and I tried to move on like I said I would. But I couldn't every woman was compared to you and found lacking. It tore me apart when you wouldn't give us a chance. Now you say you want to and I'm elated. But I am not going to do this unless you promise me one thing. Just promise me this one thing."

She cocked her head at him in question.  
"Promise me that if you get scared or upset you will talk to me first. I can't live through that again. That you will not flee half way around the world. Promise me."

She looked up at him.  
"I can promise I will try if you will help me. I am not used to these emotions. I don't know how to deal with them."

She looked at him with her teeth tugging at her bottom lip. He nodded and leaned closer. He softly pressed his lips to hers. She smiled against his lips and threw herself at him. He caught her and pulled her close. "We need to get back to work," she mumbled into his chest. He chuckled and squeezed her tighter.

"Okay Okay but you better not work until ungodly hours tonight," he told her.  
"According to your religion God created night and day. Logically that would mean he made all the hours therefore there is no such thing as ungodly hours," she said in a rational tone.

"Metaphor Bones metaphor."  
"Cam is working on the second victim and she said she should be done a little before 6pm. So I'll start after dinner. If he is as straight forward as this one I should be done by 9 pm."

She sat back down at her desk and went back to typing. Thinking for a minute Booth spun around, picked up the phone, and called to order dinner. He walked out into the lab and let Cam know that dinner had been ordered. Brennan jumped when the conference screen beeped on her desktop. She clicked it and Cullen appeared on her screen.

"Hello Deputy Director Cullen. What can I do for you?"  
"You can let me talk to Booth I want an update," he demanded.

"I'll have him conference you from the angelator. It's a secure line and this one is not," she explained. Cullen nodded and she closed the connection. She walked out into the Lab and hollered across the lab.  
"Booth, Cam, Angela, Hodgins, Wendell Angela's office now!"

They jumped in surprise at her hollering across the Lab. She turned around and went into Angela's office. Angela entered next.  
"Cullen wants and update can you set up a secure line directly into his office."

"Yep give me a few minutes," Angela, told her. Everyone started shuffling in.  
"What's going on Bones?"

"Cullen wants an update."  
"So why is everyone here?"

"So that Cullen can be made to realize he's expecting too much to quick when he basically gets from seven people that they have nothing yet." Booth sighed this was not going to be a good conversation. The angelator blinked and Cullen appeared in the middle of the holograph square.

"Well ahh this is a very strange conference call," Cullen stuttered as he looked around. Booth grinned.  
"Welcome to Angelator sir," Booth said with the grin still on his face.

"I want an update Booth and why are there so many people here? This is supposed to be a secure meeting," Cullen said frowning around at the people in the room.  
"And so it is sir. These people are my squint squad and I would trust them with my life. Actually, I have and would do so again. It took the FBI five hours to figure out that they were investigating something. And the only reason you did was absolutely an accident."

Cullen cleared his throat, looked around again, and nodded.  
"I sense some attitude from him over there. He nodded towards Hodgins. Hodgins snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Nothing personal sir. He's our conspiracy theorist," Booth explained and Cullen rolled his eyes.  
"So what is going on?"

"We've started preliminary examinations on the bodies from the first truck," Brennan started.  
"I did not ask you Dr. Brennan," Cullen interrupted her. Brennan rolled her eyes, crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

"Sir, I've spent the last two days sorting and distributing evidence. The squints have been working on their respective fields. They are compiling evidence and when we have some we will discuss it and what it means," Booth said with a frown at the director's interruption. Cullen sighed and rolled his eyes.

"As I was saying cause of death is from a projectile entering distally, inferior of the mandible striking the zygomatic arch and exiting through the frontal bone."  
"And that means?"

"He was shot in the head. From under the chin and the bullet exited out the side of his head."  
Cullen shook his head and looked at the ceiling.

Cam stepped forward.  
"We are running screens for toxins they should be done for the first victim in another four hours, the second victims screening should be done around 1 am. I have all of my lab equipment working over time. I will start a rotating schedule that will keep the evidence gathering going 24/7, sir."

Cullen nodded and Hodgins stepped forward.  
"I have begun analyzing particulates found on the driver but right now nothing is positive. While these tests are running I am color coordinating the particulates to match with the victims."

Hodgins stepped back and Wendell stepped forward.  
"I am de-fleshing the second victim s bones for examination. The process started about five minutes ago and should be complete within the next four hours. We will then proceed with the examination."

Wendell went to step back and Cullen asked.  
"And who might you be?"  
"I am Dr. Wendell Bray. Forensic Anthropologist here at the Jeffersonian," Wendell introduced himself.

"And what are you qualifications to be working on this case?" Booth sighed.  
"I have been working on the FBI cases for the last four years. I did my doctorate work here with Dr. Brennan," Wendell explained his qualifications.

Cullen looked at Booth who nodded.  
"And you are?" Cullen asked Angela with a frown.  
"I am Angela Montenegro-Hodgins. I am scanning all of the photographs and inputting the digital photos into the Angelator to make a mock up of the scenes. I am about half way through the 400 or so pictures that have been given to me. Might I suggest a better camera or photographer," Angela said introducing herself and Cullen chuckled at her suggestion.

"So I am to assume that you are the Angela of the Angelator?" She nodded.  
"I still think you should be working for us," Cullen said seriously.

"No way baby no way, she grinned out and Cullen glared at her.  
"Okay Booth I'll want another update in a few days," Cullen declared. Booth nodded and Angela closed the screen. Booth ran his hands through his hair.

"I guess that went as well as can be expected." As they left the office, they heard a lab tech holler that dinner was at the door. Booth walked to the door grabbed a cart and transferred from one cart to the other. Stuck his head out the door and waved with a smile at someone down the hall.

Everyone stared in shock at the fact that Booth had not gone through the dinner as he usually did. Hodgins walked toward the cart and started to exclaim.  
"Ooooo Wo-"

"Don't even Hodgins. I don't want any more squints there than necessary." Hodgins nodded. He saw however, one had his name on it, snagged it from the cart, and walked off. Booth pushed the cart into limbo, which had become pretty much the dining room for them. He set up the boxes grabbing ones labeled for him and Brennan and headed towards her office.

Cam stuck her head in the door.  
"Sid?" He nodded and she smiled and went towards limbo with a spring in her step.

Brennan walked in, sat on the floor across from Booth, and started picking through her food. A few minutes later, they were joined by Angela, Hodgins, Cam, Wendell, Rebecca, Parker and Sweets. Brennan moved over so she was sitting in the floor next to Booth's knees and everyone took a spot around the table. Booth had some pictures laid out on the table looking them over.

The way he had them laid out pretty much gave an over view of the street.  
"I'm thinking the shooter would have been here." He pointed to a spot with the back of his chopstick. Brennan shook her head no.

"Ex- sniper here Bones. This would be a good spot to hide," Booth argued. She shook her head finished chewing.  
"Booth how long have you been here in the lab," she asked in a curious tone.

"Two days just like the rest of you," Booth replied automatically. Brennan rolled her eyes and tried again,  
"How many years have you spent working with us?"

"Five," he said. She nodded.  
"Test time," Wendell started snickering. Parker looked at his dad with his eyes wide.

"Mom if he fails are you going to ground him?" Everyone laughed at Parker's question.  
"You are in sooo much trouble now Booth," Wendell laughed and Booth rolled his eyes.

"Where is the mandible Booth?" He stopped eating thought about it a second cocking his head to the side. His eyes got wide and she nodded.  
"The shooter was in the truck," he whispered. Everyone stopped eating and stared.

"Oh yeah I knew it I knew it," Hodgins whooped. Booth pointed his chopsticks at him and stared. Hodgins sat in his chair and grinned at him.  
"But logically that means that there would have to be two. One in each truck right? Also logically speaking that would mean we have their names. But we need evidence other than conjecture."

Booth just sat there staring into space thinking. They finished eating in silence. Then one by one, everyone left, leaving the two of them sitting there. She bumped her shoulder against his knee.  
"Eat, she ordered. He shook himself and started eating. She sat with him while he finished eating.

Standing up she picked up the pictures and walked to Angela's office.  
"Ange are these already in?" Angela shook her head no. Brennan handed them to her.

"Can you do these next since these are the first victims and we are working in order."  
"Sure thing sweetie. Is he okay?"

"I don't know he has not said anything yet. I'm sure he'll talk about it when he's ready." She left Angela working at her computer and headed out to the lab. She saw a courier at the lab door and ignored him. He knocked again and she walked over to the door.

Hitting the speaker button, she said,  
"We are not excepting packages at this time."

"We have to deliver, it's from the FBI," the courier argued.  
"Then please deliver to Deputy Director Cullen at the Hoover Building. We are not accepting packages," she repeated then turned and strode away.

The courier started banging loudly on the doors and she continued to ignore him. Booth strode out of her office.  
"What is going on out here? You squints aren't usually this noisy unless you re blowing stuff up," he yelled.

He saw the courier at the door and his eyes narrowed. He strode over to the door Brennan hid a small smile when she noticed the courier take a step back. Booth pressed the button.  
"What do you want?"

"I have a package to deliver from the FBI. I told that lady over there but she wouldn't listen to me," the courier said in a nervous tone.  
"What else did she tell you?"

"To take it to the Hoover building and deliver it to someone there," he said starting to sweat. Booth eyed the courier then the package.  
"Leave it there on the floor and go on your way and I will take care of it," Booth told him shortly. There was a feeling in his gut telling him that this was not a normal package.

"I need you to sign for it," the courier argued.  
"Nope smart thing to do would be to leave it there. I am not opening these doors for you." The courier thought about it for a minute then set the package down and left it sitting there. Booth walked to Angela's office.

"Hey Angela can you set me up with a secure phone line to Cullen?" Angela nodded.  
"Yeah big man, just give me a minute to set up the line." Booth paced around her office while he waited. She spent a few minutes punching in information into her digital pad.

He briefly saw a map of the world pop up. He watched as she bounced the phone line connections around the world in a random pattern.  
"You are a squint in disguise of a normal person," Booth teased her with a laugh.

"What I am doing is completely illegal so if I get arrested for this I expect to get out of jail and have this crap expunged," she told him. Booth laughed again.  
"Okay when you make this call it will register as a call coming from the American Embassy in Costa Rica and going to the Forensic Labs in the Hoover. If they should decide to tape it, all they are going to hear is my father's original CD. Just dial 1 before you dial his number."

She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. Booth laughed and wiped his hand down his jaw. He picked up the lined and dialed 1 followed by Cullen's direct line number. He spoke briefly in the phone and agreed to something said on the other line. Nodding he explained how secure the line was and what had been done. He started laughing again and finished with a yes sir.

He hung up the phone and turned to Angela and said,  
"He wants the conference call left open so you can play him your father's CD. No, I didn't tell him who your father was just who the band was."

Angela giggled and closed down the angelator and went back to her computer. Booth walked over to the platform, swiped his card, and walked up behind Brennan. She shifted slightly to the left making room for him to stand next to her. A moment later men dressed in dark bdu style uniforms surrounded the package and covered it with a large metal box. They heard a loud boom and watched as the uniformed officers picked everything up and left.

"Find anything." Booth asked Brennan as if nothing had happened.  
"Still looking but the only thing I see is a broken hyoid but the bruising on the bone would mean it was done peri-mortem. But I will need x-rays to take a closer look. There is a simple comminuted fracture on the frontal and zygomatic bone. But the bruising is post mortem. There is some remodeling but those are from when he was younger."

She picked up the skull and leaned in closer. He stood there watching as if he expected her to give him the answer he was looking for.  
"Although breathing on my neck feels good Booth it will not get you what you want any faster. I'm sending him back to x-ray to get a closer look at the hyoid. Until that's done I'm finished here."

She walked over to one of the graduate students and had them take the skeleton to be x-rayed with a notation to get a close up of the hyoid. Booth walked back to the office and flopped on the couch. Brennan followed him in and flopped down next to him, slid her feet around and laid her legs across Booth's lap. He rested his hand on her thigh.

"Is it always this boring?" he whined.  
"No you re usually in the field. This case is all evidence. Until we figure out who might have done it." They looked up at a noise in the doorway.

"What's up Sweets?" Sweets raised his brow at their position. They just stared at him as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He walked in and sat down.  
"I am usually used as a profiler but I have had nothing to do since we've got here. At which point will I become of some use."

"When I go and get the files tomorrow. Cullen let me know he had them ready but I wasn't going out in the dark. It would be too dangerous. So I'll pick them up in the morning. Just to keep suspicion off he pulled some random agent files as well. He said you would recognize the random ones," Booth told him and Sweets nodded.

"Okay. So the lab is running on 24 hour shifts now?" Sweets asked in curiosity.  
"Only until we get some evidence going and get the examinations down. They still have six more to go," Booth answered and Sweets nodded.

"So what happened with Jake." Brennan looked at Sweets and smiled.  
"He pissed me off so I asked Booth to beat him up." Sweets grinned.

"Did you have to strip him Booth?" Sweets asked with a smirk.  
"Security procedure. He may have done it with no other reason than to get thrown out." Sweets grinned again and got up to leave. He stopped at the door, turned, glanced, let out a low chuckled and left.

"I think he's onto us" Booth whispered.  
"I don't know what that means"

"I think he knows that we've admitted that we love each other." Brennan groaned.  
"What if he tells Cullen? What if they separate us?"

"Naw Cullen's too smart to do that. Besides, he knows no one else at the Bureau will work with you and that you re the best. He likes having the best. As long as it doesn't interfere with our work, which it won't, then it's not going to be a problem." Brennan sighed.

"You better be right," she said in a low tone. Booth shifted down and propped his feet on the table. They heard the lab start to quiet down for the night. The only sounds an occasional whisper and the hum of the machines. They heard a knock on the door and the door popped open.

Parker stuck his head in.  
"I came to say goodnight dad."

He walked over, climbed into Booth s lap, and gave him a kiss.  
"Good night bub. Now go to bed."

"Night Bones."  
"Good night Parker, she smiled.

Brennan stood up and grabbed her pajamas. Smirking over her shoulder, she left to get changed. She heard women plotting in the bathroom and laughed to herself. She waited until they left and quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face. She opened the door to her office and laughed when she saw he had pushed the coffee table away from the couch. Her bed was on the floor refilled with air and the sheets were on it.

"Booth you re going to be ambushed by some graduate students that want to see you in your boxers." She said with her eyes twinkling. He sighed and looked down at himself.  
"I am not sleeping in jeans," he groaned. He flopped on the couch, she sat down near the end, and they resumed their earlier position.

His thumb brushed the inside of her thigh as he thoughtfully stared upwards. The unconscious motion was driving her wild. Her eyes darkened and she sucked in a breath. He glanced at her and suddenly realized what he had been doing. Grinning he reached over and pulled her into his lap.

He leaned over and kissed her, slowly what started as a gentle kiss flamed into passion quickly. They broke apart at a knock on the door.  
"If it's not new information on the case go away."

They heard a giggle.  
"Agent Booth, we have the test results on the first victim."

"Are they in squint?" He asked knowing they were. They heard the girls giggle again. Brennan rolled her eyes stood up and walked to the door. Standing to block the view into the room, she opened the door and held out her hand. She glared at the two who took a step back from an irritated Dr. Brennan.

"All results are to go through the doctor who is the head of that particular department in this lab. Or have the rules changed so much since I've been gone?"  
One of the girls stuttered out a no.

"So why then are you knocking on my office door at 11pm with unread results turning them over to the investigator in charge?"  
"We thought he might want to see them first."

"I think you wanted to see if you could catch him literally with his pants down. Although it is a nice view, it's not yours to see. All lab results from graduate students need to go through the doctor. Now take these to Dr. Saroyan." She shoved the papers at them and slammed the door in their faces.

"C'mere Bones, you need to calm down," he grinned and she huffed  
"No I don't, those girls annoy me."

He chuckled and patted the couch next to him. She sat down on the couch and tucked her feet up underneath her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close. She put her head on his shoulder when they heard a knock on the door.

"What do you want?" Booth groaned as Brennan called out  
"I have those lab results you wanted Booth," Cam answered.

They sighed in relief.  
"Come in then, we are too lazy to get off the couch," Booth called out.

Cam laughed as she opened the door and closed it behind her. She handed Brennan the paper work and asked.  
"Did you have to make my graduate students cry?"

Brennan looked like she was thinking about it.  
"Yes I did, she said truthfully. Booth snickered at her reply.

"And why, might I ask, did you have to do that?"  
"So they would leave Booth alone. I heard them plotting in the bathroom. They were hoping to see what color boxers he was wearing today," Brennan told her with a frown.

Cam's face lit up in laughter and gave them a knowing grin.  
"I'm glad then. It's about time you two."

She left the office closing the door after herself. Booth reached over, pulled the down comforter over their legs, and counted out.  
"Five, four, three, two, one" And he pointed to the door and it busted open and Angela rushed in.

She stopped short at them underneath a blanket and Booth naked from the waist up. She grinned and said,  
"About time you learned to read a book from the beginning Agent Studly."

Hodgins peered over her shoulder and shrugged.  
"Sorry guys I'll try to control her more." He pulled her out of the office and back to her own.

Booth rolled his eyes and Brennan laughed.  
"Think they're done for the night? I'm tired and want to go to sleep," Brennan grumped.

Booth laughed and kissed the top of her head.  
"You go sleep and I'll protect you from nosey friends."

She snorted and crawled onto her air mattress and watched as he set the alarm on her computer and turned off the lights. A timid knock sounded at the door.

Booth stood up and opened the door.  
"What? Come back in the morning or go talk to Wendell."

He closed the door in the graduate students face. He heard Brennan laughed from the direction of the air mattress. He dropped down onto the couch and pulled the comforter up to his waist. Her scent wafted off the comforter. He smiled and drifted off to sleep. He came upright hearing someone cry out. Looking over he saw her thrashing around on the bed.

He got up and walked over to the bed. He gently shook her  
"Bones? Bones wake up." She sat up suddenly and almost slammed her head into his. He jerked back and she bounced on the bed from the motion.

She sighed and rubbed her face.  
"Booth I'm sorry I woke you up. Go back to sleep. I'll just go get something to drink."

"Nuh huh you re staying right here." He scooted onto the bed and pulled her down with him. Pulling his feet up and stuffed them under the blanket. Pulling her close he kissed the top of her head.  
"Sleep I'll keep the boogey man away for awhile."

"There's no such thing as the boogey man," Brennan argued sleepily. Booth chuckled and a few minutes later, he heard her soft snore.

* * *

**Reviews are really goo****d. I like them and they are free to give!**

Berniej no max sorry I figured he could take care of himself. Don't feel bad about having to re-read I had to draw up an outline to keep track of everything =) (maybe if I stopped eating deodorant with aluminum in it I might not have this problem LOL).

**NEXT CHAPTER: Another intern bites the dust. If my interns are annoying I get rid of them instead of attaching them to a main character *cough* Daisy*cough*. More evidence where oh where is this case going and who is involved? An agent you know? Maybe, maybe not...**


	8. Paper work done in boxers

Disclaimer: I don't own Bones or anything else I may have mentioned that is copy righted.

Thanks for the reviews guys I really enjoy them.

* * *

The alarm clock went off the next morning sounding like birds.  
Booth laughed, she had changed that obnoxious sound. He rolled off the bed and grabbed his clothes and shower supplies. He took his shower, got dressed and put his shower supplies back in her office.

She was still sleeping and he left her to it. He went up to the lounge and made coffee in both coffee makers. He had just started to sip his first cup when Brennan stumbled up the steps, grumbling under her breath about birds.

Booth chuckled. "You know you should probably get dressed," he suggested.  
"Coffee. First." He laughed even harder at her single worded sentences. She sat down next to him with her coffee and looked around.

They sat there sipping coffee watching everyone start to come out from their sleeping areas. She was halfway through her cup when Wendell flopped down on the couch and glared at them.

He took a swig of his coffee.  
"Dr. Brennan how in the hell did you pull these kinds of hours for all those years?"

She looked at him.  
"We are working normal hours Wendell," she pointed out.

He snorted and told her,  
"Sixteen hour shifts are not normal."

Brennan laughed.  
"They are for me. Over time, are the 24 to 48 hours with no sleep."

Wendell groaned. Booth laughed then put his mouth near her ear and whispered. She groaned and got up. Booth threw his legs on the couch to save her seat. Brennan hurried to her office pulled on her clothes and grabbed the tox screen that Cam had delivered the night before. Going back to the lounge one of the grad students whistled at her. She whipped her head around and pierced him with a stare.

"Mr. Bransen, did I forget to mention she sits on the doctorate board?" Wendell called out.  
"Sorry Dr. Brennan." She nodded and continued on to the lounge.

She walked up the steps and Wendell laughed at Booth's groan.  
"Booonnneeesssss, you were suppose to put clothes on not take them off."

She looked down.  
"Booth I'm wearing two shirts," she pointed at the layered tank tops.

"Those shirts have no sleeves and barely have a neckline." She rolled her eyes and came to sit down next to him pushing his feet off the couch. Parker came up the steps with orange juice and sat in Brennan's lap.

"You want another cup?" Booth asked holding up her coffee cup. She nodded and continued reading the paper work with her arms wrapped around Parker. Booth set her cup down and sat back down. A large group of people had come and sat down in the lounge. They were perched on the table, arms of the couch, the floor.

"So what does it say?" One of the female grad students looked at him with doe eyes and asked.  
"Is she not sharing? I can get you another copy." The squint squad burst into laughter.

Booth glared at them and grumbled about squints under his breath. Brennan turned her head and whispered in his ear. This caused the squad to laugh even harder and him to glare even harder. They finally stopped.

"Ms. Kincaid I am translating. He is not a scientist and is not trained to read these reports." The student glared at Brennan who smirked back.  
"It says that there were trihalomethanes found in his liver and kidneys. But at this level they would be lethal."

"Driver or passenger?"  
"Passenger. He also had nothing on him except for old wounds and post mortem fractures. The fractures were caused by the accident."

She heard the student mumble about how you couldn't tell that with bones.  
"Keep speaking Ms. Kincaid and you will make the same exit as Mr. Slater," Brennan said without looking up from her paper work.

"You can't do that Dr. Saroyan is my professor."  
"Ms. Kincaid, this is not a normal day at the lab. Dr. Brennan is the liaison to the FBI what she says goes. Do not question her credentials. She can tell us just as much with bones as we can tell with skin and organs." Cam corrected her.

"Thank you Dr. Saroyan. Booth when we see Cullen we need medical files of agents in that accident," Brennan asked Booth who nodded an affirmative.  
"Come on Booth the donuts are here," Cam told him. She and Booth went down stairs to get the food.

Brennan was sipping her coffee and Wendell knew that look. She was thinking. Booth and Cam came back carrying donuts. Booth grabbed three and handed Brennan and Parker one each. Tori started to speak and he held up his finger to hush her. Brennan blinked slowly twice then got up and walked off Booth started to follow her.

"Bub we have to go to my office for part of the day. Mind you mother and the adults while I'm gone okay?" Parker nodded.  
"What was that all about?" Tori asked.

"Dr. Brennan's brain works as fast as your computer so she probably just figured out something we would have taken three days from now," Cam stated. Everyone scattered to start their work. Brennan and Booth were headed towards the door when they heard Cam call out.

"Dr. Brennan I should have two more ready for you by the time you get back." Brennan nodded in acknowledgement of Cam s statement and kept walking. They arrived at the Sequoia, with Booth darting his eyes around. They got in and he headed towards the Hoover. They drove in silence until they were a block away.

"You stay behind me all the time. Some of the agents were shot near this street. We are going in the back door." Getting out they approached the doors at the back of the building. He swiped his card, the doors buzzed, and he pulled the door open. Booth went in and she walked half a step behind him. They went up the elevator and walked to Cullen's office.

Stepping into the office, they saw Cullen in a meeting. He nodded to them and gestured towards the corner. The two men sitting in the chair turned around.  
One of them stood up. "It's Dr. Brennan oh my gosh, " the agent said excitedly.

He rushed towards her and ran smack into Booth. Booth put out his arms and steadied the man.  
"Please take a step back. Bones does not like to be touched," he informed the agent.

"Agent Tucker please meet Special Agent Seeley Booth. Dr. Brennan's partner." Tucker stuck his hand out and Booth shook it making sure to squeeze his hand hard enough for him to get the point.  
"And this is Agent Brown." Booth shook his hand as well, keeping Brennan between him and the wall.

She was taking advantage of the fact that they couldn't see her hands to run her fingers under the back of his shirt.  
"Bones behave will you," he admonished quietly over his shoulder.

She snorted from behind his back.  
"If you agents will please sit down Booth and Brennan will stay back there until I'm ready to hear from them," Cullen directed and Booth nodded.

Cullen's eyebrows rose when he saw Brennan's arms snake from behind him to wrap around him and dig in his front pocket. He disengaged her hands and dug a pen from his pocket, put it in her hand and put them back behind him. Booth felt her writing on a piece of paper using his back.

"So Deputy Director Cullen nothing has been found as of yet from the investigators you have working on that case we were discussing earlier. If you have the best working on it why is taking so long?"  
"Gentlemen they are thorough and there are ten bodies and they've only been working on it for two days. Excuse me gentlemen I'm sorry. Booth and Brennan are under cover and they need this paper work before they are missed," Cullen handed them another filing box which caused Brennan to sigh.

Agent Brown eyed her and snorted. He mumbled something about prostitutes, which caused her eyes to narrow. Before anyone could move, her fist connected with his face and he rocked back in his chair.  
"I forgot to warn you about her temper," Booth choked out.

"I apologize Director Cullen I let my emotions get the better of me. It was irrational," Brennan apologized.  
"That's assault on a federal officer!" Agent Brown spat out towards her.

Cullen looked at the ceiling and said,  
"What happened? I didn't see what happened."

Booth choked again.  
"Come on Bones let s get outta here." He pulled her by the arm and she followed behind.

They ran into Charlie in the hall.  
"Cullen is going to be in a bad mood. You may want to duck him," Booth smiled at him.

"What did you do now Booth?" Charlie asked with a grin on his face.  
"He did not do anything. I busted blood vessels around Agent Brown's zygomatic and frontal bones," Brennan came to Booth's defense quickly.

"Say what?"  
"What," Brennan said in confusion at his demand.

"She blacked his eye. Now we really have to go," Booth translated. He pulled her into the elevator and pushed the button for the first floor. When the door closed, he pulled her to his chest and his mouth plummeted to hers.

The kiss deepened until the elevator stopped on the first floor. He pulled back before the door opened. He steered out the door and towards the SUV. He got in on the driver s side and started the vehicle. Pulling out into traffic, he made his way back to the Jeffersonian. Making their way back to the lab they did not discuss what happened in Cullen's office. She swiped her card and the doors opened.

Everything was proceeding as expected until Cam saw Brennan's hand.  
"Dr. Brennan you went to pick up files how did you hurt your hand?"

"It made contact with an Agent's face," Brennan explained with a straight face.  
Booth burst out in laughter.

"Cam it was the best thing ever. Cullen said we were under cover and Agent Brown said something to the effect of, as what a prostitute. Her eyes got all icy, she stepped forward drew her arm back and landed a blow guaranteed to black his eye," Booth crowed in excitement.

He was still laughing when Angela gasped out,  
"Sweetie that wasn't nice or feminine."

"Yeah but I thought it was hot and funny. He deserved it, she just got to it before me," Booth said still trying to catch his breath.

"Anyway, Dr. Brennan I finished with the next victim and am working on the third. Dr. Bray is going to be teaching his graduate student to de-fleshing methods."  
"Thank you Dr. Saroyan. That will give us enough time to sort these out."

Brennan walked swiftly to her office. Booth was talking to Wendell about her punching Agent Brown both of them were laughing. Brennan went into her office, opened the case, and groaned. The files were just thrown in there nothing separating them. The x-rays were together by the person s name. She groaned and started sorting paper work. Booth showed up a few minutes later still grinning. She glared at him and continued sorting.

He sat behind her and watched over her shoulder.  
"Enjoying the view Booth?" He grinned and leaned over and kissed the back of her neck.

"Very much. I haven't been able to do this without fear of getting my eye blacked. But now... "  
She laughed and went back to sorting.

Cam knocked on her door and stuck her head in.  
"Bones are ready." Brennan nodded and stood up and headed up to the platform.

Picking up her clipboard, she snapped on her gloves and bent over the bones. Starting with the skull, she picked it up and turned it over her hands. Making a notation on the clipboard, she continued to turn the skull, pulling out her pen light she shined it in the base of the skull making another notation. Looking again, she scribbled another note. She continued her examination, moving down the body picking each bone up and turning it.

The lab had gone quiet and she looked up to see the graduate students leaning against the platform railing watching her. Looking up without standing up she glanced around.  
"Are the interns in need of something to do Dr. Bray?"

The interns quickly scattered around the lab. Wendell chuckled, remembering the first time he had seen her work. Turning around he followed his students into the lab to remove the flesh from third body. Returning to the bones she re-examined them with the same care and time she did the first examination. Booth had walked up to the platform and quietly sat on a stool watching her work.

Shaking his head after half an hour later, he got up and dropped the agent's paper work on the table next to her clipboard, set a stool next to her and left the platform. Going back to the office, he sat down and began color-coding the victim s paper work with the list Hodgins had given him. He heard a clang followed by a holler for dinner. He shook his head and laughed.

Walking over to the platform and swiped his card. Jumping up the steps, he realized everyone else had gone to dinner. But she stayed, his Bones she stayed. She was studying the second victim with the same intensity while sitting on the stool. Glancing at her clipboard, he noticed she was on her first round of examinations. He walked away and left her to her examinations.

Walking into limbo, he snagged a paper plate, put two pieces of vegetable pizza on a plate, and carried them back to the platform. He didn't hear the young woman ask Wendell.  
"Why does he do that? He waits on her hand and foot and she just ignores him."

"Oh she doesn't ignore him. They love each other. We've been taking bets for years on how long it would take them to get together. No, she's there for him in a way that no one else is or knows," Wendell explained.  
"Weird I would have pegged her as cold and heartless," the student said.

"When I lost my scholarship, she set a new one up so that I could stay here. She goes and visits one of her other graduate students at a mental facility. She paid for a funeral for a victim. She sat for days with Booth when he was in a coma. No, she's not heartless. It's a defensive mechanism. Just ask anyone who has worked here more than a year." Wendell went back to sit down and eat leaving the girl to watch as Booth set the plate down on Brennan's rolling tray and walk back. Booth sat talking and eating with Parker.

Three hours later found anyone not working the night shift running tests squeezed into Angela's office to watch a movie on the angelator. They oooh'd and ahh'd while she widened the screen they cheered and clapped when they finally decided on a movie. Booth noticed a solitary figure on the platform still working as he was headed to the bathroom. The third body was still in the boiling tank and she was making notes.  
After finishing in the bathroom he walked up onto the platform.  
"Bones. SIT! EAT!"

She nodded and kept working. Booth set the office up for the night and sat at his desk reviewing files. When he glanced up at the clock, again, the lab was silent and Angela's door was closed. He peeked out at the platform and she was bent over the skeleton. He sighed and crawled on to the air mattress pulled the down comforter over himself and went to sleep.

He sat up straight when he heard the door close.  
"It's just me go back to sleep," Brennan said quietly.

"What time is it?"  
"Three in the morning, go back to sleep."

She crawled into the bed next to him and fell asleep before her head hit the pillow. He curled up around her and went back to sleep.

Booth came awake around six when the computer went off and crawled out of the air mattress. Quickly turning it off he grabbed his shower items and headed to the shower. He quickly took a shower. Sneaking into her office, he got dressed and headed to the lounge for coffee.

"Where's Bren? She's usually up around the same time as you?"  
"She didn't come in from the platform until three. I left her sleeping," Booth told her and Angela smiled knowingly and sipped her juice.

"Have you gotten all the pictures scanned in yet?"  
"I have about twenty more to do. Then I can start helping Hodgins, he can look and I can write."

Booth nodded.  
"How are you holding up? I know this is hard on you?" Booth let out a big sigh he hadn't let himself think about it.

"I'm okay as long as I don't think about it." Angela nodded.  
"If you need anything Agent Studly, Bren is there for you." He laughed.

"Does she know your volunteering her? Besides I know that."  
"Do you think she cares that I volunteered her?" Booth shook his head.

Looking down he saw that donuts had been delivered again.  
"I'm going to skim through those files again and see what I missed. I'll be in Bones office if anyone needs me," Booth said standing up.

He grabbed a few donuts on his way by then he snuck back into her office making as little noise as possible. He sat at his desk and turned on the small desk lamp that cast a glow over the top. Flipping through the files, he started to read looking for something he missed. Remembering that they had a report to Cullen, today he left the room to make a phone call.

Entering Angela's office he picked up the phone and made the call letting Cullen know that they would have to push it back until later in the afternoon. Leaving Angela's office, he walked out into the lab to grab another cup of coffee when he heard her yelling in Spanish. He ran back into her office, knelt by the bed, and rubbed his hand across her back. Whispering in her ear she calmed and quieted. He left her sleeping and went back to get more coffee.

Parker stopped him to ask,  
"Is Bones alright dad? She sounded upset."

"Yes Parker she's okay she just had a bad dream. Aren't you supposed to be working on your homework?" Parker nodded and walked towards limbo where the tables were still set up and Russ's stepdaughters were doing their homework.

As Booth passed the platform, he heard whispering.  
"Did you hear what she said? I can't believe Dr. Brennan would say that sort of thing in English much less in Spanish."

Booth was chin level so all he could see was feet.  
"And if you're smart you will not repeat what she said to her or anyone else. You will also make sure anyone that speaks Spanish does the same. Understand me," He growled.

The feet jumped and he grinned and went up to the lounge. Cam joined him on the stairs carrying her empty coffee cup in her hand.  
"We have the tox results back from the third and fourth victims, same as the first. Nothing on the driver and chloroform on the second," Cam told Booth.

"Maybe it's me but isn't that weird that they were killed in the exact same way," Booth asked.  
"It is most definitely strange, most definitely," she told him. Getting their coffee, they went their separate ways.

Arriving back at the office, he opened the door and she was tossing and turning. Closing the door behind him, he set his coffee cup down. Stripping down to his boxers, he climbed into bed with her and wrapped his arms around her. She seemed to calm down to mumbling in her sleep. He stared at the ceiling and let her mumble.

He had no idea what she was mumbling about since it was in some language he had never heard before in his life. When she drifted back to a quiet sleep he stood, up and walked over to the desk and grabbed his coffee. No point in putting his clothes on since this would be a long night for her it appeared. Over the next four hours, he had to climb back in with her three more times.

She woke up around lunch and squinted in the dark. She saw him sitting at her desk in his boxers. She smiled another picture stored for later. He was so intent on reading that he didn't notice she was awake. He jumped when she got off the bed.

"Good you re up. I can put my clothes on." He stood up and dressed. Leaning on her desk, she giggled.  
"If we are going to be involved in a romantic relationship that includes sexual intercourse than you need to get over your modesty," she said with a grin.

Placing his knuckles on each side of her, he leaned in and kissed her softly.  
"I'm not worried about you seeing me. It's all the other squints," he told her in a husky voice.

Brennan laughed again. She grabbed her shower stuff and headed to the shower. He followed her out carrying his coffee cup. She went in and stopped to talk to Hodgins. As he was standing there, he saw Wendell with his hand on the doorknob to the shower room.

"Wendell Bones is in there," he barked.  
Wendell jerked his hand back and nodded.

Hodgins snickered under his breath.  
"Protective much Booth?"

Booth glared at Hodgins.  
"Hahaha I've worked with you for five years that doesn't work on me anymore," Hodgins laughed.

Booth rolled his eyes and took up a station outside the door. Fifteen minutes later the door opened and Brennan walked out.  
"Bones you are a very evil woman," he stated as he did an about face and walked to the lounge. She put her shower items back and saw a plate with two of her favorite donuts on them in her office.

Smiling she picked them and her coffee cup up and headed to the lounge. She sat down and started eating and drinking. Angela bounced up the steps.  
"Morning Bren."

"Morning Ange," Brennan said as she kept sipping her coffee and nibbling on a donut.  
"When we are done with this case I'm going to have to do a cleansing diet. Too much un healthy food," Brennan grumbled and Booth raised his eyebrows.

"Do I even want to know?"  
"I don't know do you?"

"No big man you don't trust me. It's horrible I did it with her once," Angela advised him.  
"I will admit it is not a pleasant experience but good for your body every once in awhile," Brennan said with a shrug.

"No thanks Bones you can do that but I'm fine with my diet," Booth told her rubbing his stomach.  
Cam ushered them from the lounge to the platform.

"I called Cullen this morning and pushed back the update meeting to later this afternoon so Bones could get some sleep," Booth explained to Cam who nodded.  
"Good before we do that I need to take a quick glance at the medical x-rays of the other 18 people. It shouldn't take more than two hours. Then I'm going to want to run a simulation Ange," Brennan said nodding toward Angela.

Angela nodded and Brennan stood up and headed to Limbo. With the back lighting on the drawers, she would be able to clip up multiple x-rays. She found Parker and the girls sitting there working on some homework. Booth went to the office, picked up the stack of x-rays, and carried them to her.

"Wendell," He heard her call out. Wendell stuck his head in the door. "We need to review these x-rays there are 18 sets here," Brennan told him.  
"Sure Dr. Brennan. I'll be right there I have to get the students helping Hodgins with particulates."

Wendell was back in less than five minutes. Booth handed him the x-rays and they began hanging them. Having nothing better to do Booth picked up a set and began helping them hang them. Brennan walked up behind him reaching up she flipped one over. By the time lunch arrived they had them all hung.

The secondary entomologist shivered.  
"This is just creepy all these skeletons hanging up."

Parker looked at him and walked over to an x-ray  
"These are phalanges, and these are carpal bones and those are metacarpal bones. They are not creepy."

He glared at the entomologist belligerently.  
"Bones your turning my kid into a squint," Booth said with a choked laugh.

"Booth he is learning at a phenomenal rate at his age. I am merely helping him to learn." Turning to the entomologist, she stated,  
"These are not in fact skeletons just x-rays of them." The entomologist just stared at Brennan who stared back.

Brennan proceeded to tell the entomologist.  
"I required the space to hang 18 sets of x-rays and this was the most logical place to do so. If you are not happy with it you may go eat in the lounge."

"Are you being smart with me Dr. Brennan?"  
"No in order to be smart with you would indicate my intelligence is at your level. Which I can assure it is not."

Parker giggled and Booth leaned down and whispered in his ear. Parker got quiet and finished eating. Stabbing her fork into her salad, she took a bite and glared at the entomologist.  
Lunch finished quickly and quietly after that. Brennan stood up, using her clipboard walked around taking notes, writing names on each page.

After the first time she walked around, she repeated the process. A frown furrowed her brow as she concentrated. Sticking her pen in her ponytail, she walked out to the lab. She hurried over to Angela's office. Booth flopped down on Angela's couch and listened as Brennan gave her data to input. He watched as blocks of images flickered up on the screen. People houses, streets and vehicles.

"Booth this is a quick run through of what we believed to have happened."  
They watched as the scene played out. Brennan shook her head.

"This agent right here, Agent Luke Braxton his wounds don't match. Rerun the scenario using Agent Braxton as the assailant. Okay that time line is correct, but his injuries are not from that sort of motion. Actually his injuries are more congruent with self inflicted breakage."

"So what you are saying is that he chloroformed Agent Rowan then shot Agent Smalls. Causing the accident, which hurt the other seven agents and then he dislocated his own shoulder?"  
"That is what the evidence says. The assailant in the second van did the same thing. However, his wrist was broken. The first van was turned over when the second one hit it. In order for that to happen it would require someone to actually push down Agent Whatley's leg to speed the van up."

"Okay this is a good start Bones however it is not enough to accuse a federal agent we need a solid case."  
"We are still processing evidence."

"Okay so I need to talk to Cullen again." Angela pointed to the phone and left. Brennan followed her out the door.

Walking up to the platform, she found the fifth skeleton lying on the table. Snapping on her gloves, she grabbed a clipboard.


	9. Welcome to The Lab

Disclaimer: I don't own Bones or any of the music mentioned.

A/N AryanTindomiel with a some adjustments I got you a protective Booth snuck in. More to come though =)

* * *

_Previously:_  
_Walking up to the platform she found the fifth skeleton laying on the table. Snapping on her gloves she grabbed a clipboard._

* * *

"Dr. Brennan I have already done the preliminary examination."

"Ms. Sinclair, your examination does not interest me. You should be giving that to Dr. Bray."

"I am the best in my class this is unnecessary."

"I am the best in the world and I believe it is."

"And I think you are cocky."

Brennan sighed and stalked over to the woman.  
"I intensely dislike your attitude Ms. Sinclair. If you continue to argue with me about this examination I will make sure your doctorate work is not done here."

Booth walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Leaning forward he whispered in her ear. She glared at Tori then at Booth.

He whispered again and she laughed at him.  
"Alright Booth that sounds logical for the first statement and the second statement you made sounds like fun."

He grinned, turned and looked at the intern.  
"Ms. Sinclair please do not question Bones. She is the best at what she does. This investigation is too important for a graduate student to miss an important piece of evidence. We have to be here together in an enclosed space. Nerves are running on edge I understand that. But if you continue to cause trouble, you will be stripped and thrown out. Do we understand each other?"

"The only reason you re so defensive is because you re sleeping with her! You think you can fool us those are not nightmares she's having." Booth's eyes went blank. He sauntered over to the table next to Hodgins computer. He picked up a pair of scissors and walked up behind her. He quickly cut her clothes off. She began to struggle but he was quicker. He dropped the scissors when she was standing in her bra and panties.

Grabbing her by the shoulder, he dragged her to the door. Punching in a few numbers the door swished open and he threw her out. The door closed and he turned around. Out of nowhere, cheers came from the lab. He stood in the walkway.

"Dad I saw her boobies!" Rebecca came out glaring at him while everyone else was trying not to laugh.  
"I'm sorry Rebecca but I have to do what it takes to protect this investigation and that includes making sure no evidence or paper work leaves this lab unless it is in my hand. Parker please do not tell people you saw boobies it is not polite."

To the rest of the lab he said.  
"I know that the quarters are not the best. This is a long case; there is a lot of evidence. I appreciate your help with this. However, there will be no more insulting of anyone else and I do mean anyone. If you are working here then you are good at what you do even if you are not a doctor. However, the doctors here are the absolute best. All results will be checked and double check. Yes, Angela I know that you don't have a doctorate but you should so stop glaring at me."

Angela grinned at him.  
"We have an update meeting in twenty minutes so get back to work."

Booth strode to Brennan's office and sat down. He sat there flipping his poker chip for the next fifteen minutes. He got up, walked over to Angela s office, and flopped down on the couch. The rest of them filtered in and right on time Cullen appeared on the Angelator.

"Agent Booth, update please." Booth replied from his spot on the couch,  
"Take it over squints."

Cullen looked at Booth for a minute and looked over at Cam as she began speaking.  
"Sir we have found lethal doses of chloroform in two of the victims and two of the victims were shot. The other 16 agents had Ativan in their system."

"Okay we know that the drivers were shot and what is ativan?'  
"An anti-anxiety drug that can cause memory loss," Cam explained.

"Lovely and why is none of this information in the reports from the accident Booth," Cullen growled at Booth.  
"They were labeled as unidentified drugs. You would have to ask the pathologist in Houston or give me his files sir," Booth said in frustration.

Cullen nodded and looked down.  
"Dr. Hodgins have you got anything?"

"The gunshot residue that I have and the rounds indicate that the shots were fired from a Glock. We will be able to determine caliber when they are finished casting the wounds. I have that information noted."  
"You mean you can tell which manufacturer of gun was fired by GSR?"

"Sir, we have a program that analyzes, detects, and stores individual manufacturers GSR particles. The combination ratio of antimony, barium and lead vary according to manufacturer," Hodgins explained.  
"Okay then, Dr. Brennan?"

"What was indicated on the reports does not match up with what the x-rays are saying. I will need the agent's files. All of them to cross reference."  
"I'll have those ready for you in two hours." Brennan nodded.

"Anything else Booth?"  
"Shortly we will have the accident put together and we are beginning on the plane crash."

"Good I will see you and Dr. Brennan in two hours." Booth nodded. The angelator blinked off and everyone left the office. Booth went back to Brennan's office and sprawled on the couch.

She followed him to her office.  
"What's wrong Booth?"

"Nothing I'm fine."  
"Obviously that is not true."

Booth sighed.  
"I have too much free time and I am getting itchy fingers."

"I don't know what that means."  
"It means I need to call my sponsor but the lines are not open so I'm trying to deal with it okay," he said in a frustrated tone.

Brennan tilted her head and thought about it for a minute. She walked over to the windows and closed the blinds. Walking back to the door, she pushed it closed.

She went and sat down next to him.  
"What can I do to help?"

"Nothing I have to do this myself," Booth told her.  
"No you don't I am right here," she said in a soothing tone.

"I just need something to do," Booth groused. She got a sly smile on her face and moved. The next thing he knew she was straddling him. She leaned in and softly kissed his lips. He deepened the kiss his tongue running around the edge of her lips. She opened her mouth for his questing tongue.

She pulled back.  
"Your hands are not busy," she groaned against his mouth. He pushed his hands underneath her shirt. They roamed over her skin and body. He placed open-mouthed kisses behind her ear and down her jaw line.  
When he reached the edge of her tee shirt, he muttered,  
"Too many clothes, you are wearing too many clothes."

Crossing her arms in front of herself, she pulled off her shirt. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. He began kissing down her chest while her hands were pulling at his shirt. He lifted his arms over his head and she pulled his shirt off.

A knock sounded on the door. They froze.  
"Bren they sent me to let you know the fifth body has been de-fleshed," Angela called through the door.

Brennan gave a low groan.  
"Don't do it, don't go," Booth whispered.

She gave him a throaty laugh.  
"You now have something to occupy your mind until later or more evidence is found," she said then smirked at the look on his face.

"I'll be right there Ange," she called out.  
"Okay sweetie," she chuckled. Brennan shifted back on his lap and he growled. She got her feet to the floor and stood up.

Grabbing her shirt, she leaned over and kissed him. Pulling on her shirt, she left the office closing the door behind her. Angela was standing in her office door watching Brennan pull on her lab coat.  
"Sweetie you have sex hair and your lipstick is smudged," Angela warned her with a large smile.

"Thanks Ange." Brennan wiped her mouth and pulled her hair back into a ponytail as she walked up to the platform. She picked up the clipboard with Wendell's preliminary examination on it and began reviewing. She began moving down the skeleton one bone at a time.

Booth came out of the office ten minutes later headed towards the platform.  
"Booth," Angela called out as he walked by her office door.

Sticking his head in Angela's office door, he asked,  
"What?"

"You have sex hair agent studly," Angela laughed put as his face turned red. He ran his fingers through his hair re-spiking it.  
"Much better, now you can go watch her work." Laughing Angela went back to what she was doing.

Booth walked up to the platform swiped his card and sat on the stool he occupied last night.  
Without looking up, she asked. "Are you bored Booth? I'm sure there's an extra table around here. You could lay out a limbo case in anatomical order."

"No thanks Bones, I have my mind on other things and I'm trying to stay focused," he said with a chuckle.  
She grinned at him over her shoulder.

"Wendell did you see this?" Wendell came bounding up the steps, leaning over he looked to where she was pointing.  
"No I didn't see that. By the way that is a nice cologne you re wearing," he said with a wink.

She looked at him and smiled.  
"Thank you" She went back to studying the bones.

She looked up when Booth snickered.  
"You did that to him on purpose didn't you?"

"Yes, I don't care if he knows. It's these other people who have not met me before three days ago that I would prefer that they did not know."

Brennan went back to examining her bones. Booth heard her humming. He waved Angela up to the platform. Angela walked over to him and leaned on the railing.  
"Why is she humming? I've never seen her do that before." Angela huffed out a laugh.

"I've only seen it a few times and only centered around three men. Listen to what she is humming."  
Booth cocked his head then shook it.  
"I don't recognize it."

"Go to my computer, open my media player. Under club mixes listen to track number 69." Angela left the platform and continued on her way.  
Booth got up and went to Angela's office and listened to the track then groaned as he heard Candy Shop by 50 cent.

"Bones! Where did you hear THAT song?" He hollered from Angela's doorway.  
"Club," she said.

Booth sighed and walked back up onto the platform  
"Come on Bones we have files to pick up," Booth called out.

She shrugged out of her lab coat and grabbed the keys from his hands.  
"Cam we are going to Hoover," Booth called out as they walked by her door.

"Okay," she called back. They snuck in the back door the same as their last visit. They opened Cullen's door and found the two agents sitting in front of his desk. When he saw them walk in, he turned his chair over rushing at Brennan. Before anyone could blink Booth had Brennan pushed behind him and his gun drawn. The agent came to a screeching halt. His eyes crossed as he stared down the barrel of the gun pointed between his eyes.

"I don't know who you are but I suggest that you step away from us," Booth said his eyes dark in anger and jaw clenched.  
"Is that Dr. Temperance Brennan?" The man managed to struggle out between clenched teeth his face alight with anger.

"Yes, this is my partner Dr. Temperance Brennan. And I really don't like people who come running at her so please take a seat," he said in low quiet tone.

The man turned around and sat back down in his seat with a frown.  
"We came to get the paper work we asked you about earlier today," Booth said in a light tone belying the hardness of his gaze.

Cullen nodded and handed him a large stack of files.  
"You re just going to let them go Deputy Director? He pulled a gun on me and all I wanted was her autograph," Agent Braxton whined.

"Did you ask her Agent Braxton or did you just run at her?" Cullen asked knowing the answer.  
The agent hung his head and nodded.

Cullen walked over a picked up a case that had files in it and handed it to Booth.  
"Come on Bones. Back to where we were." She nodded.

Reaching behind himself, he tucked his gun back in its holster. Booth gave a casual salute and left the office letting the door close behind him.  
"And that is part of why they are the best, Agents," Cullen told them with a small smile.

They got on the elevator and Booth looked over at Brennan.  
"Braxton is dirty," Booth, said grinding his teeth the longer he thought about it.

"Your gut again?" Brennan asked.  
"Yes but also did you see his suit?"

"Yes it was a very nice suit," she said wondering what his suit had to do with anything.  
"Very nice indeed. I've had my eye on one very similar. However, it is out of my price range," Booth said with a frown.

"I don't see the correlation between being dirty and his choice of suits," Brennan told him with a frown.  
"I've been with the bureau longer than Braxton. I make more per year, yet I cannot afford that kind of suit. Where exactly is he getting the money for those suits?" Brennan's face lit up as she made the connection. Booth put his hands in his pockets and nodded with a smile.

Booth and Brennan arrived back at the lab in thirty minutes. Striding through the door, they saw Sweets standing next to a lab assistant.  
"Sweets here's some files to profile," Booth told him as Brennan handed him the files.

She pulled on her lab coat and snapped on her gloves. Walking up to the platform, she returned to the table near where Fisher was standing. Leaning over she began examining the bones again. Four hours later Booth came up to her on the platform.

"Come on Bones. Dinnertime and then I think Angela has some fun planned. You have been over the remains three times."  
"I know that I have examined it three times but something is not right about this one."

"Either way it is time to eat dinner." He clapped his hands. When she just stood there with a pursed look on her face, he took the clipboard out of her hands and led her to limbo. As they ate dinner, they watched as Angela was furiously in putting data into the angelator.

Her stylus moving as fast as the data could be processed.  
"Are you doing what I think you re doing baby?" Hodgins asked.

She gave him that smiled that told him she was up to no good.  
"Am I going to have to move tables?"

She shook her head yes. Sighing he stood up, started moving tables, and computer stations off the platform.  
"Dr. Hodgins what are you doing?" Cam called.

"I am making room for tonight's entertainment." Cam looked at him then stuck her head in the door. "  
Do you have an issue with this Dr. Brennan?"

"As long as it all goes back exactly where it came from and he's careful in moving it I don't see why not. The movie last night seems to have helped everyone to calm down. Maybe this will help as well," Brennan, told her and Cam nodded.  
"Good then I will expect to see you two there." She said with a smug grin. Booth sighed. Brennan shrugged. She continued to eat. When she was finished, she looked at Angela.  
"Ange let me know when your evening activities are ready." Angela nodded

. Brennan walked out the door and returned to her office. She walked in and stretched her back by leaning over at the waist and pressing her palms to the floor.  
Booth choked when he walked in the door.  
"Bones you should really close the door before doing something like that. You could cause half the males in the lab to have a heart attack."

She looked between her legs at him.  
"I am just stretching the muscles in my lower lumbar region as well as the vertebral foramen."

"Bones could you be so kind as to stand up or I will not be able to go outside this office." She rolled up into a standing position. She walked over to the couch and flopped down. He walked over and sat down next to her. Pulling her legs up onto his lap and rubbed his hands across the top of her thighs.

Laying with her back on the couch and her thighs across his lap, she lifted her leg.  
"Push please." He looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

She rolled her eyes.  
"Never mind," she grunted.

While he had his hand on one thigh, she bent her knee and pulled her thigh and calf into her chest pushing against her own hand.  
He looked at the ceiling and started muttering.

"Are you naming saints again Booth?" He continued muttering and in between breaths, he said.  
"I am." She put one leg down and pulled the other to her chest.

"Is this some sort of weird anthropological sex thing Bren or is there something completely different going on. Booth why are you listing saint names? The evening's entertainment is ready," Angela walked off giggling.  
Booth slid out from under Brennan and stood up. She rocked back and swung her legs around stood up quickly. They walked out together to the platform area and looked around.

It was dimly lit by the lights coming from the small rooms surrounding the platform. Suddenly the middle of the platform lit up and Angela stood there her pad ever present in her hand.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to The Lab."  
At her last words, music began playing and lights around the lab began flashing.

They heard Wendell say sweet and saw the scientist head for the platform to begin dancing. Parker ran up on the platform and started dancing with his mom.  
Brennan smiled.

"It's been awhile since I've been to a club. In fact the last time I went was when we found that victim in the wall."  
"You mean the one where you got stoned," Booth, grinned.

"I was not stoned as you say."  
"Yes, Bones you were," he said smugly.

She shrugged and watched everyone dance. They tried not to laugh at what Sweets was doing on the dance floor. They stood close just barely touching, whispering back and forth.  
Angela's eyebrow raised she looked down at her pad. The next thing Brennan knew she was being yanked to the dance floor.

Booth found himself standing next to Wendell and Hodgins. He was handed a drink and he took a sip and started choking, his eyes watering.  
"What is this?" Booth asked as Brennan made her way towards him from the dance floor. Reaching him, she took the drink from his hand and took a sip.

She laughed as she handed it back to him.  
"The drink that makes Jeffersonian parties go around. Or get anthropologist in trouble when they shoot people with it on their breath," Hodgins snickered.

"This? This is what you were drinking on the Cleo Eller case Bones? Seriously?" Booth said with his eyebrows almost in his hairline.  
"I've taught Wendell how to make it. Tradition will continue." Hodgins laughed again. They stood there watching the women moving around on the floor.

A few men spread out. The sound of a sitar rang out across the speakers. Angela started a waving motion gesturing Brennan to join her on the floor.  
Angela winked and Hodgins groaned.

Booth looked at him with narrowed eyes.  
"Hodgins?" Booth asked in an undertone.

"Sorry man I've seen them do this at home. Hang on to your shorts g-man this is going to get rough." Booth groaned and looked up.  
He forgot to breathe as the two women wound in, out and around each other hips shimmying and arms moving to the rhythm. Wendell gulped.

"Holy shit, man they did this at your house. Oh shit I think I need to leave before I embarrass myself."  
Booth laughed and watched as Wendell gulped down the alcohol. Booth mentally made a note that Wendell would not be available for work tomorrow.

Booth went back to watching, he breathed when Hodgins would notice he wasn't and elbow him. As the song wound down cheers rang across the platform.  
50 cent blared across the speakers and Booth rubbed his hand over his eyes. This was going to be a long, long night.

The platform filled back up with dancers and Angela walked over to Hodgins with her hips swinging.  
"You know baby only you could make belly dancing that attractive."

Angela rolled her eyes.  
"So G-man what do you think. Brennan taught me Sharqi and we like to dance every once in awhile. It's good for the ab muscles," Angela said with a large smile on her face.

"Ahem yeah it was ah...yeah it was very" Booth stumbled and coughed. Angela's eyes lit up with laughter.  
"Yeah baby I had to make him breath. You remember when you two didn't warn me and I passed out the first time. Yeah I made sure that didn't happen to him," Hodgins said with an embarrassed smile.

"Yes Hodgins did in fact stop breathing and passed out from lack of oxygen," Brennan stated as she sipped from glass she had gotten.

"So Bones exactly how many other dances do you know? Any others I should worry about?"  
"I know several Tribal dances from Africa, Latino and several of Asian origins. I also know several forms of Belly dancing although that is the Egyptian form. I can also Salsa, Waltz, Tango, Cha-Cha, Rumba, Flamenco, Swing and if you get me inebriated enough I will line dance."

Booth stood there with his mouth hanging open. She smiled at him.  
"When I travel to various countries as part of my anthropological studies I like to learn about their dances. They have anthropological meaning," she explained.

"Swing dancing?" Booth asked with a dubious expression on his face. She just grinned she was not telling him why she took that class. She walked up, leaned against the railing next to Booth, and put her foot on the railing behind her. They watched as everyone had fun.

"This was a good idea Ange. The adrenaline will help them sleep tonight," Brennan said to Angela.  
"Yeah Bren and they're having fun," Angela pointed out.

"Yes that too."  
"So Booth have you kept your mind on the ball?"

"Eye on the ball Bones Eye on the Ball." Booth corrected with a smile still loving that she did that.  
"You mean the case?" Hodgins asked. Before Brennan could say, anything Booth clapped his hand over her mouth. She mumbled under his hand.

"Yes that's what she's talking about. The case," Booth said smoothly. Angela rolled her eyes and laughed,  
"Yeah okay." Brennan stepped forward to speak to one of the graduate students and Booth slid behind her his back against the railing and pulled her back against him. The student walked off to the dance floor.

She leaned into him as if it was the most natural thing. Rebecca had walked over to them smiling.  
"That was some dance you two. Where did you learn that?"

"Bren taught me how to do it," Angela replied to Rebecca's question.  
"And I learned while I was in Egypt," Brennan told her.

"You'll have to teach me how to do that."  
"I can do that," Brennan agreed. Booth groaned at the thought of his girlfriend and Rebecca bonding.

When Brennan was finished with her drink she started to take a step forward to go get a drink and he pulled her back and whispered in her ear,

* * *

**What oh What will Booth whisper in her ear? Want to know review! I am not above black mail for reviews, mwuahahaha. But seriously thank you so much to those of you who do review.**


	10. Crash Landing

Disclaimer: Don't own anything just playing with someone elses ideas.

**Thanks for the reviews guys! I really do appreciate them. **

* * *

_When Brennan was finished with her drink she started to take a step forward to go get a drink and he pulled her back and whispered in her ear,_

* * *

"If you move I will be really embarrassed."  
"Why?' She asked in confusion. He pulled her hips back against him and showed her why.

"Okay. Hey Ange how long are you planning on this going on?"  
"I figured I'd shut it down around ten. That way we can all get some sleep," Angela absently said. Brennan nodded.

"Okay so we were here, now I have some medical files to review. Booth what did you do with Agent Boyles file?"  
"I put it on that stack. You know what never mind I'll show you," Booth said.

Separating they made their way to the office as if it was another day at the office. As soon as the door closed Booth had her pushed up against the door. Reaching behind her, he locked the door.  
"If anyone touches that door I will shoot them," He growled as he pressed his lips to hers in a deep hungry kiss.

They fell on the bed and Booth taught Bones about breaking the laws of physics.

"That was ...I do not even have words," Brennan panted out. Booth chuckled.  
"The world renowned anthropologist and author is speechless. Damn I'm good," Booth, teased. She laughed then smacked his chest.

"You realize Bones that we didn't use protection."  
"I'm on the pill for hormone regulation," She muttered and he sighed in response.

She rolled off him and snuggled up to him putting her head on his shoulder. He listened as her breath evened out and her heart rate slowed. Kissing her on the top of the head, he fell asleep beside her in moments.

Three hours later, she sat up straight with a start. She heard a soft snore and saw Booth sleeping peacefully next to her. She leaned over and kissed his temple. He muttered in his sleep and rolled over. She got up and pulled on her pajama pants and a tank top. Unlocking the door, she left the office closing it behind her quietly. Moving towards the platform, she realized that everything had been put back.

Striding back to the office, she snuck in and grabbed her card and her mug. She headed up to the lounge and got some coffee, which was surprisingly fresh. Arastoo walked up behind her causing her to jump.  
"Morning Dr. Brennan."

"Morning Dr. Vaziri. What are you doing up this early?"  
"It is my turn to work the midnight shift and keep an eye on several tests Dr. Hodgins has going at the moment. How about you?"

"Couldn't sleep there is something with these set of bones. I have been somewhat distracted. There is so much evidence to process so I thought that maybe now while everyone is in bed I would examine the remains." Arastoo nodded and told her,  
"If you need my help I will be in the lab next to limbo." She nodded and headed down to the platform.

As she walked up to the remains she realized that she had left her clipboard in the office. Sighing she set her coffee mug down and went to her office to get her lab coat. Opening the door she snuck in grabbed it off the chair. Stopping briefly, she watched as he slept. Smiling she went back out to the lab. She walked up to the platform pulling on her lab coat.

Snapping on her gloves, she picked up the skull and turned it gently in her hands. Setting down the skull, she picked up the vertebra piece by piece turning them gently in her hands. She did not notice as Arastoo came by frequently bringing her cups of coffee in silence. Something glinted and she stopped turning the hyoid that she held in her fingers. Setting it down carefully she picked up a petri dish and tweezers.

Carefully she tweezed out the glint she had noticed in the hyoid. Placing the evidence in the dish, she labeled it and put it with the corresponding evidence. Picking up his autopsy file, she skimmed over it. Lacerations, soft tissue contusions, no drugs cause of death was listed as massive trauma to internal organs. She picked up the pictures taken and looked at them.

The contusion on the neck was a regular pattern that wrapped around the neck with an extremely thin line of bruising inside that contusion. Walking over to the magnifying lens, she flipped on the light. Holding the picture closer she looked and saw it. Grinning she stood up.  
"I found cause of death for the pilot Booth," she said over her shoulder.

"How did you know I was standing here? I didn't make a sound," he questioned.  
"I can always sense when you are near," she told him. Smiling she put the picture with his autopsy. "Now that I've done that I can go back to bed," she muttered.

"How many cups of coffee have you had?"  
"Five," Arastoo called out.

"Thank you Dr. Vasiri," Brennan said with an eye roll.  
"Nice boxers Booth. I like Scooby Doo myself," Arastoo snickered.

Booth rubbed his hand down his face in frustration. More than half the squint squad now knew about his underwear.  
"Bed now Bones. Come on its sleepy time. Besides, you don't want your leg swelling. You have been acting like there's nothing wrong with it," he chided.

"I am not a child that needs to be told its sleepy time. And I'm not acting there is nothing wrong with it," Brennan argued.  
"Bones just come to bed," Booth coaxed. She nodded and rubbed her eyes. He pulled her ID off her coat and swiped it then pulled her down and towards her office.

He led her in and pulled her lab coat off. He gently pulled her ponytail out. Giving her a small shove, he pushed her into the bed. She fell asleep before Booth had crawled into bed beside her. Angela gently knocked on the door and stuck her head in.

Laughing she said,  
"Up and at em guys. Food will be here soon and I know how cranky you get without food Booth."

"Unnnghh go away Angela," Brennan groaned.  
"She's right Bones we need to get moving," Booth, told her with a grin.

"You two look so cute like that," Angela said with a smile. She ducked when a pen flew through the air at her.  
It hit Cam who stood behind her. "Get up you two. We have work to do," Cam said with teasing authority.

"Cam would you go away," Booth asked her.  
"Why big boy it's not like I haven't seen it before?" She snickered as she walked away.

"When you people leave we will get up," Booth said towards the doorway. The door closed with a click and Booth scrambled out of the bed, grabbed his clothes, and headed to the shower. Brennan rolled from the mattress then began picking up things lying around the room and quickly put them away. Lifting up the air mattress, she leaned it against the wall. She gathered her clothes; shower supplies, and set them on the edge of her desk.

She noticed a scrap of fabric on the floor, bending over she picked it up on one finger. Booth walked through the door as she was standing up. She held up her torn underwear with one finger and raised her eyebrows.

He grinned and shrugged.  
"They were in the way. I'll get you a new pair," he promised with a grin.

She laughed and threw them at her bag. Picking up her clothes and shower supplies, she headed to the shower. Showering and dressing quickly she put her shower supplies back. Walking up to the platform carrying Booth's cup, she grabbed her coffee cup and headed to the lounge. She sat down on the couch, set his cup on the table and sipped her coffee. Booth dropped a plate in front of her and one next to it.

Snagging his cup off the table, he went to get his own coffee. Sitting down next to her, they started eating. Parker joined them this morning as he had in last few days. He sat in Brennan's lap eating an apple. She praised his choice in good eating habits. One by one everyone started filtering in around them eating breakfast.

Cam asked,  
"So what did you find last night Brennan? Yes, I know you found something. You don't sleep for more than four hours at a time when you know there is something there and you haven't found it yet."

"I found damage on the hyoid bone. I pulled particulates and put it on your desk Hodgins. The autopsy says that the pilot died of massive traumatic injuries to the soft tissue. However, the hyoid show specific damage including bruising that was done peri-mortem. Which indicates that he was murdered," Brennan explained.

"The bodies do have serious trauma however I will look closer at the contusions." Brennan nodded. Chewing on her bagel thoughtfully she turned and looked at Booth.  
"Cullen needs to seriously review his people in Houston. I believe that they signed that paper work and never even looked at the body," Cam stated.

"Not every Agent gets the best squints in the business," Booth said in a logical tone.  
"Hey they don't have to be the best to see what I saw. Clark I would like you to determine what would be that thin and could possibly cause that kind of damage. It is 6.35mm in width," Brennan argued.

"Yes Dr. Brennan, as soon as I finish breakfast," Clark said. Everyone finished their meals and headed back to their respective places. Brennan walked to her office, entering she sat down at the desk and spread the medical files across her desk. She looked up when Booth walked in. She smiled when he pulled a chair up next to her and sat down. She continued sifting through the files.

She pulled out a file and set it to the side. She continued to shift and scan. More files made it to the pile. She continued reading and sorting for another two hours. They looked up when Wendell stuck his head in the door. "Co-pilot is ready Dr. Brennan," Wendell told her.

Brennan nodded and tried to stand. Her leg folded underneath her.  
"Yep your leg is just fine," Booth said sarcastically. He gently pushed her down on the couch, grabbed the comforters, and piled them under her leg.

Pulling down her sock, he saw the snakebite swelling. She glared at him and crossed her arms.  
"The body can wait for a few hours," he told her in a firm tone. He went to let Cam know that Brennan was out of commission for a few hours.

Cam nodded and continued working on the bodies. Booth sat at her desk reviewing what they had. She sat on the couch watching them.  
"You do realize that we have crossed that line," she said in a serious voice.

Booth looked up and grimaced.  
"I know I know and that worries me. But then I don't think that I could possibly worry anymore about you than I already do. I also know that they would use you whether we were together or not. They know we are partners," Booth said thoughtfully.

"That is logical," she said as she sat staring at the ceiling and started humming.  
"Oh God Bones please stop," Booth pleaded.

"What I am just humming," she said laughingly.  
"Yes yes you are. And the song is painting pictures in my mind."

"You can't paint pictures in someone's mind," she said with a straight face. Booth laughed under his breath. He ran his hands through his hair.  
"Dr. B I found out what that particulate is poly-paraphenyleneterephtalamide," Hodgins said sticking his head in the door.

She looked up at him and her face pursed up while she thought.  
"So what is that?" Booth asked in curiosity still hating the fact he had to ask.

"Kevlar," Brennan said absentmindedly.  
"Kevlar?"

"Yes, Kevlar," she said again. Booth laced his fingers, put them behind his head, and leaned back.  
"What could be on a plane made of Kevlar," he thought out loud.

"I would not know. Planes are not in my area of expertise," Brennan said. Booth stood up and walked into Angela's office. A few minutes later, he came back in with Cam, Hodgins and Angela following him. They sat down around her office. Parker shuffled in and sat at Brennan's feet on the end of the couch.

"There is something we're missing about the plane. So I'm having the wreckage sent here. Is there somewhere it can be safely stored?" They all began to think. Cam shrugged.  
"The only place is down in the loading docks. We can put it there and process it using everyone in probably two hours."

Booth nodded and stood up and reached his hand out to Parker who took it.  
"Let's do this then. The plane will be here sometime today. So let s have a meeting and get this started," Booth said.

Cam walked out into the lab and began rounding up everyone for the meeting. Once everyone was in the lounge Booth made his way up.  
"Okay people here's the deal. We have the wreckage of the plane coming in downstairs. We need to have this processed in under two hours. So we will be working quickly and thoroughly. I want a pre-flight checklist gone over," Booth told them with a serious face.

Everyone nodded and scattered. Booth started walking over to Brennan. Parker followed Booth as he walked towards Brennan. Booth stopped and turned to Parker.  
"Bub I need you to go sit with your mom okay?" Parker took off towards his mother.

Booth continued to Brennan.  
"Bones take this, keep an eye out. I'm going downstairs to secure the area."

She took the glock he handed her. Walking up to the platform, she set the gun down on the table and picked up a clipboard. She started her examination of the co-pilot's bones she scribbled notes down the sheet. The hair on her neck stood up and she didn't like the feeling. She picked up the gun and looked around. Not seeing anything, she set her clipboard down and slid the gun into her pocket.

She walked down the platform and circled around to go upstairs. She stood on the landing that over looked the entire lab but couldn't be seen unless you knew where to look. She watched as people moved around the lab. Sighing she went back to the platform. Picking up the hyoid, she saw the same type of marks as she had on the pilot. She set the hyoid back down and began to move through the remains one bone at a time.

Three hours later Booth strode through the doors whistling.  
"The wreckage will be here in about an hour so get the squint squad together," Booth told Cam who nodded.

"Chop Chop," he called out clapping his hands together.  
Brennan looked at Cam and shrugged leaving it up to her.

Cam called out,  
"Hodgins, Wendell, Dr. Brennan, Arastoo, and Tori you are to go down to get evidence from the plane."

They gathered their supplies and walked down. They heard Tori babbling to Wendell. Booth rolled his eyes and mumbled about graduate students. Brennan chuckled at his comments. Then they heard Wendell bellow out.  
"Tori, Dr. Brennan and I have readymade kits because we work with FBI and we need to have them ready to go at any moment. We are not weird. And if you want to work here at the Jeffersonian you should think about putting one together as well."

Booth grinned at Wendell. When they had reached the doorway, Booth put his hands out to stop everyone.  
"Bones you and I are going to unhook the cameras in here. Everyone else stay put. I do not want you to move past this point."

Booth and Brennan moved quickly and quietly around the room disconnecting all the cameras. When it was clear, Booth whistled and waved them in. He handed Brennan the pre- flight list, walked to the door, and pulled it mostly closed. Leaning against the open section, he watched the hallway. Glancing over his shoulder, he watched as they moved through the plane Brennan checking things off the list.

He saw her pause and her brow furrowed.  
"Whatcha got over there Bones?" Booth said walking towards her.

"The plane seems to be missing the aerodynamic lift creators."  
"The parachutes are missing?"

"That's what I just said."  
"I realize that Bones."

"Do they argue like this all the time?" Arastoo asked.  
"We're not arguing we're bickering," Booth and Brennan said at the same time. Arastoo laughed and continued his gathering.

"The check list says there should be 11 parachutes in here. There are only eight. Can we get a copy of the pre-flight checklist from before they took off?"  
"It's already in your office." She walked around the plane and finished the checklist.

"Hey Wendell did your automotive interest include plane engines?" Brennan asked Wendell thoughtfully.  
"No, I wasn't formally educated but I learned about them on my own why?"

"I want you to do the mechanics pre-flight check list to see if anything went wrong there. Can you do that?"  
"Yeah sure. That's easy." Brennan listened to the conversation. He heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He stepped in front of the door and crossed his arms.

A security guard stepped up. "Agent Booth is there something I can help you with down here?"  
"No thanks John we have this under control," Booth assured the security guard.

"You know that the Jeffersonian has a strict policy about who is allowed down here and the camera's are out."  
Booth heard Brennan holler out "It's okay John we turned them off for security purposes. I will make sure that they are plugged in before we leave. Can you make sure none of the other security comes down here?"

"Sure thing Dr. Brennan." Saluting smartly he walked off. Two hours later, they had the evidence, check lists, and were getting ready to leave when Brennan gasped eyes wide. Booth stopped and looked at her. She turned around walked into the plane and pulled out a parachute.

Booth rolled his eyes.  
"Bones what are you doing?"

"Evidence." Pulling the reserve chute cord she watched as the pack opened. Snapping on her gloves, she snapped them on. Pulling three evidence bags and a pair of reverse cut shears from her bag; she cut three sections of the cord. Placing them in the evidence bags, she put the bags away and started towards the group.

Stopping she looked at Booth.  
"We need to turn the cameras back on," she reminded him. Booth nodded and put everyone else in the door again. Moving back around to the cameras, they plugged them in and left.  
Walking quickly back to the lab they were quiet. Entering the lab, they put all the new evidence in a tub and Brennan picked it up and carried it to her office to catalog.

Lunch came and went with Wendell bringing them sandwiches. Brennan cataloged and Booth compared the preflight checklists and passenger lists writing down inconsistencies.

Letting out a loud sigh Booth looked up said,  
"We need to use the angelator and run a scenario. There are four chutes missing. Which means that there were more people on the plane than were accounted for."

Brennan nodded. They walked to Angela's office and knocked.  
"Come in, Hey sweetie what's up?"

"We need you to run a scenario," Booth answered before Brennan could say anything.  
"Okay here is what I need, a map of TN with a leer jet at cruising speed, which is 500mph with a 50mph tailwind. With a 200lb man jumping out at 200mph or head first with the NE wind at his back. Can you do that?" Booth asked with a smile knowing she could.

"Where do you want them to jump out?"Angela asked punching in information into her pad.  
"The plane was found about 30 miles outside of Knoxville, TN. I'm trying to find out where they landed," Booth told her.

Angela input the information and watched the scenario run. "As best I can tell they would have landed about 5 miles outside of Kingsport, TN. Here are the gps and grid markers for the area they would have landed in."  
"Ready to go for a ride Bones?" She rolled her eyes.

"We are going to need help." She knew what he was looking for.  
Looking at Angela Brennan asked, "Can we take Hodgins for two days please?"

"Ask him sweetie," she laughed. Brennan nodded.  
"If we take the Sequoia anyone watching will know that we have left the lab unprotected," Booth said with a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair.

Picking up the telephone, he called Charlie and asked him to meet him at a random restaurant. Brennan walked out to Hodgins.  
"I know your busy Hodgins and you have already helped so much but will you go with us to gather up some evidence?"

"Yeah these particulates just need to be put on a slide and the grads can do this."  
"We need a vehicle, they'll know if we take the Sequoia." Hodgins thought a minute and a smile spread across his face. Angela stepped out of her office.

"Hodgie take the Escalade," she told him.  
"THE Escalade?" Angela nodded and he started bouncing around and Brennan looked back and forth at them.

Shrugging she went to her office and threw together and overnight bag for her and Booth. Looking at the clothes she added more, better to be safe than sorry she thought. Stepping out she hollered.  
"Hodgins pack for an overnight and then pack extras just in case. Things never go as planned when you travel with Booth," she told him.

He nodded and walked towards Angela's office. Booth was speaking with Cam in a low tone. She saw him hand her the glock and speak again. Nodding Cam turned to the lab and squinted around.  
"Sweets go with Booth and Brennan please," she asked and Sweets nodded.

Brennan walked up to Wendell.  
"I want you to do preliminary and secondary examinations on the skeletons including cause of death. I will review them when I get back." Wendell nodded.

"Allow your students to help. It is how they learn," Brennan offered and Wendell nodded again. She walked over and waited by the door for Booth. Booth was speaking with Parker and when he finished he hugged him. He walked to the door where Brennan and Hodgins stood.

The four of them took the elevator to the parking garage then climbing into the Sequoia and took off to a ratty bar down the street. Brennan and Hodgins stayed in the SUV and in moments Booth was back and heading towards Hodgins house.

"Why am I here exactly?" Sweets asked in confusion.  
"To drive the Sequoia back to the lab," Booth said shortly. They arrived at Hodgins estate and pulled around to the garage. Climbing out they unloaded their luggage and Booth handed Sweets his keys.

Sweets climbed into the Sequoia and headed back to the lab. As they stood in garage, Booth was whistling and drooling over all the cars.  
"Oh Jesus Hodgins this a 1948 Aston Martin," Booth choked out. Hodgins chuckled.

"I got that for my 21st Birthday. But the car we're taking is over here." Booth walked over to it, reaching out his hand.  
"Don't touch-"

* * *

**Hahaha what does our favorite conspiracy theorist own that Booth shouldn't touch?**

Yeah I love Parker as a squint, it's paybacks for Booth teasing them =)  
I also love humiliating people with big egos so I write them in just to humiliate them. More humilation for inflated egos to come! ;-)


	11. The Escalade

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

**Did you see it last chapter? Come on I know you did...**

* * *

_"I got that for my 21st Birthday. But the car we're taking is over here." Booth walked over to it, reaching out his hand._  
_"Don't touch-"_

* * *

Before Hodgins could, finish Booth had grabbed the handle. A spark flew and Booth flew back a foot and landed with a crash.  
"the door handle." Hodgins finished.

He sighed and walked over to Booth. Checking to see that he was still breathing he sighed in relief. Clicking fob in his hands, he punched in a set of numbers and the vehicle beeped and flashed.  
"Come on help me shove him in the back seat," Hodgins said with an eye roll. Brennan and Hodgins loaded Booth into the Escalade and Brennan climbed into the front with Hodgins.

He hit a set of buttons on the control panel she heard several clicks, then a beep. He pulled away from the house and pushed the garage door closer. Hitting another button, she heard a phone ring.  
"Hello?"

"Baby can you beam the grid and coordinates to the escalade?"  
"Sure can, you guys have a safe trip. And please don't let Booth get all alpha-male and try to drive you know about the handles." She heard Brennan burst into laughter.

"Okay make sure you stop and get him some pain relievers and something to drink. His head is going to hurt," Angela said with concern in her tone.  
"Thanks Ange," Brennan said with a smile. They heard the connection close. A minute later, a screen flipped out of the dashboard. The coordinates started appearing and a map route was laid out.

They traveled for four hours before Booth started to stir. Sitting up he grunted.  
"What the hell happened?" Brennan reached back and handed him a bottle of water and ibuprofen. He put the pills in his mouth and took a swallow of water.

"You my man just got hit by the anti-riot defense gear on my Escalade," Hodgins explained.  
"Is that legal?"

"As long as I don't use it yes. I leave it on because I've had problems with the staff trying to borrow my vehicles. They actually stopped pretty quickly," Hodgins chuckled.  
"Does this thing have anything else I should know about?"

"Auto-tint bullet proof glass, bullet proof body, Internal GPS, internal cell phone, digital tracker," Hodgins listed.  
"Shit Hodgins," Booth mumbled.

"Have to be ready for every conspiracy man. These were contracted to be built for the military but the government decided they were too expensive so I bought the prototype. They broke even on it," Hodgins chuckled. They pulled into a diner and ate dinner with Booth's eyes darting around.

"Booth take a chill pill they are not going to find us," Hodgins told him with a smile.  
"That vehicle is not exactly under the radar," Booth grumbled.

"But that's it, hiding in plain sight. They would be looking for a low-key car not something flashy," Hodgins grinned.  
"So we have narrowed it down to Agents that come from Houston who have experience in jumping. Moreover, who are now in Washington D.C. The only problem is that with the investigation we have had an influx of agents from everywhere. There are about sixty files that we brought to Sweets and they are in that stack," Booth told them with a sigh as he ate a fry.

Brennan snagged one off his plate and he gave her a mock glare.  
"So why are we coming out here again?"

"Looking for the two missing parachutes," Booth told him and Hodgins nodded.  
"Aren't those supposed to have tracking devices on them or something?"

"Military grade ones do but these are not military grade," Booth explained.  
"So we are going to go stomping through the woods in Tennessee looking for parachutes with a 2 mile grid to search?"

"Yep. Have either of you jumped?"  
"I jumped into Iraq for body identifications," Brennan said.

"Not me," Hodgins laughed "I like the bones in my body where they are."  
They arrived at Kingsport when the sun was setting and Hodgins pulled into a hotel. Getting two rooms, they headed to their rooms.

Picking up the phone he called the secure line into the lab and let Cam know it would be more than two days. Hanging up the phone, he flopped down on the bed. Brennan crawled into bed beside him and curled up next to him. Booth sighed, wrapped an arm around her, and kissed the top of her head. They fell into a light sleep when a knock at the door made them jump.

Booth stood up and walked to the door. He opened it to find Hodgins standing there. He walked into the room and flopped down on the other bed crossing his ankles.  
"So what is for dinner?" Booth's stomach growled and Brennan laughed. She picked up the sheet on the dresser scanning the sheet.

"Pizza? Subs?"  
"Subs!" They shouted.

She grinned picked up the phone and ordered and paid. She turned around and their mouths were hanging open.  
"I have worked with you two for five years. I knew what you wanted." They laughed and shook their heads. Brennan and Booth flopped back down on the bed and Booth picked up the remote.

Flipping through the channels he found a hockey game on then he and Hodgins began talking and rooting. Brennan curled up next to Booth and fell into another light sleep.  
"She's so vulnerable looking when she sleeps," Hodgins said in a soft tone.

"She's not sleeping," Booth replied.  
"Sure she is look at her," Hodgins said pointed towards her.

"Naahh she's just dozing. You know she's sleeping when she starts that light snore she does," Booth chuckled.  
"If you two keep talking about me. I will take my gun from my bag and shoot you both. Where is dinner?"

Booth chuckled and Hodgins roared in laughter. They heard a knock on the door. Booth picked up his gun and answered the door with the safety off. When he realized it was the delivery boy he signed off on the credit card slip and slammed the door in his face.  
"Did you just sign my credit card slip?"

"Yes."  
"With your name?"

"No."  
"With my name?"

"Yep." She raised her eyebrows at him.  
"It's not perfect but its close enough at a quick glance to pass."

"Dude you can forge her signature?"  
"What? She can do mine," Booth said defensively.

"That's true I can. He forgets to sign his paper work sometimes so I've learned to sign it for him," Brennan said with a smile.  
"That, you two is just scary," Hodgins told them.

"If he wanted to Dr. B he could go shopping on you. Not like you would miss it or anything."  
"I have a set allowance. And if he went shopping on it I would notice," she stated calmly.

"I was teasing Dr. B," Hodgins told her. She nodded slowly while chewing. After dinner was finished, they watched TV until the game was over. Rolling over Brennan looked at Booth.  
"It's bedtime we have an early morning," she said sleepily.

"As you wish," Booth told her.  
"I don't know what that means."  
"Nice Princess Bride reference man," Hodgins complimented.

Booth grinned and waved him to the door.  
"I'll be back at sunrise," Hodgins told them.

Booth heard the door click shut and rolled over pinning her to the bed.  
"I want to stay like this, just like this forever," he said kissing her softly.

"Your arms would hurt after some time Booth." He chuckled, kissed her again, and rolled off her. Standing up he pulled off everything but his boxers and crawled into the bed. She shimmied out of her pants and crawled in beside him. Pulling the sheet up over them, he tucked her in next to him. She lay with her head on his chest listening to his heartbeat slow down. S

he ran her fingers over his chest tracing the patterns of his bones on top of his skin. He put his hand over hers and held it. They fell asleep entwined together holding hands. A knock at the door awoke them the next morning.

Looking out the window Booth rolled out of bed and growled as he opened the door,  
"It's not sunrise Hodgins."

"I thought you guys might want to take a shower before we go out. I'm going to run to the coffee shop across the street and get coffee and donuts. Be back in half an hour," Hodgins said as he closed the door. Booth grunted and kissed the top of Brennan's head.

"Unnggghh."  
"I know baby you don't like morning. I'm going to shower and you can sleep until I'm done."

"Don't call me baby," she muttered from under a pillow. He rolled out of bed and headed to the shower. He soaped quickly and rinsed off leaving her some hot water. He stepped out of the bathroom dried off and pulled on the clean boxers and jeans she had brought him. She rolled out of the bed and walked into the bathroom.

He heard a knock on the door followed by a whine,  
"Hurry up the coffee is hot." Booth strode over and opened the door.

Hodgins walked in and set the donuts and coffee on top of the dresser.  
"Where's Dr. B?"

"I sent her to find the parachutes by herself," Booth said sarcastically as he picked up a coffee. Hodgins rolled his eyes and laughed at Booth. The door to the bathroom opened and Brennan stepped out wrapped in a towel that barely covered everything. Seeing the expression on Hodgins face Booth spun around quickly at the waist.

Seeing her digging through the bag on the bed, he spun back around and put his hand over Hodgins eyes.  
"Hey!" Hodgins complained. Brennan rolled her eyes and went into the bathroom with her clothes.

"You know if I had realized years ago how hot she was I would have tried to tap that." Booth's brow lowered. Hodgins laughed.  
"I'm a happily married man. Besides, after she met you everyone knew. Why do you think Angela never chased you?"

"Because I wouldn't have taken her up on her offer, just like Bones wouldn't have taken you up on yours."  
"mmmhmmm," Hodgins mumbled.

Brennan stepped out of the bathroom and made her way to the coffee and donuts.  
"Dr. B your hair is almost as curly as mine," Hodgins laughed out.

She glared at him and mumbled.  
"My hair is not curly!"

"Yes it is," Booth and Hodgins, said at the same time. Shrugging her shoulders, she set her coffee down and went back to the bathroom to pull her hair up into a ponytail. Going back out to where they were, she picked up her coffee and sat on the bed to sip it.

"So we leaving or when?"  
"Or what Bones or what?"

"Or we will be here longer than we expected." Booth grinned he still loved the fact that she did that.  
"The phrase Bones is are we leaving or what," Booth corrected again with a smile.

"Oh." They grabbed their coffee and donuts and headed down to the SUV. They got in and the gps let them know that they were about five miles away. A few minutes they arrived at an open field looking, around they saw a small house sitting across the street. Pulling into the driveway Hodgins put the Escalade in park. Walking up to the door Booth knocked and the door was opened by a middle-aged woman.

She smiled.  
"Can I help you?" she said with a steep accent. Booth put on his charming smile.

"Hi ma'am I'm Special Agent Booth with the FBI and this here is my partner Dr. Temperance Brennan. We were wondering if you owned the field across the street."  
"Ohh Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth. Is your name Andy?" she squealed.

"One of your fans," Booth whispered out of the corner of his mouth. Brennan just smiled at her.  
"Yes we do own that field, the six behind the house and 1800 acres of woods on each side of the field across the street."

"Would you mind if we have a look around? We believe a piece of evidence might have fallen down in the woods when a plane crashed here about a month ago, Booth explained to her.  
"Oh yeah sure it's no problem go right ahead. Agent Booth is your name Andy and that's why you re avoiding the question?" Brennan put her hands over her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"That's not funny Bones! No ma'am my name is not Andy," Booth said with a charming smile.  
"Huh I figured she based him on you especially this one makes what two books dedicated to you," the woman stated with a grin. Booth raised his eyebrow and she raised hers back.

"I ordered the pre-release. Very nice dedication Dr. Brennan. Now if you will excuse me I have biscuits in the oven. I'm sure you have some digging or whatever to do." Smiling the woman closed the door and Brennan burst into laughter. She tried to control her laughter but was not doing such a good job when they reached the SUV. Booth was glad to hear her laugh; she didn't do it often and usually around a select few. He was glad he was one of them.

"What's so funny?" Hodgins questioned.  
"Ask Andy," She gasped out between giggles.

"Don't ask just don't ask," Booth said in a growly tone. Hodgins burst into laughter.  
"That woman thought you were Andy didn't she?"

"She asked him once he ignored her, so she asked again and pointed out that she knew he was ignoring her," Brennan said after she had finally settled down into a giggle every few minutes. Booth rolled his eyes. They pulled onto a dirt road that led back into the wooded area. They were a few yards from the center of the grid block. They stopped and got out Brennan grabbing her bag. Hodgins locked the door and they walked into the woods.

As they were walking through the knee-high grass, Booth put out his hand to stop Brennan. She looked down his arm to where he was pointing.  
"Okay it's a deer Booth," she stated. He pointed lower and she saw a fawn lying in the grass. They circled around the pair scanning the ground.

"We'll be looking for a pile of leaves or near some type of cover. If they are ex-military it would be habit for them to hide the chute," Booth told them. Hodgins was scanning the tree line for an open chute.

They walked for about six hours when the men started whining about being hungry. Brennan reached in her bag and pulled out three granola bars. She handed one to each of them.  
"Bones this is not food fit for human consumption," Booth complained.

"Stop whining and eat it. There are starving people around the world that will eat one and it will be the most nutritious thing they've had their whole life. Your hungry eat. We still have another two hours of light before the sun sets," she told him.

Shrugging the guys tore into their bars and began following behind her.  
"So how much land did we have to cover?"

"About 1280 acres," Brennan answered.  
"How much have we covered?" Hodgins asked.

"About five clicks," Booth answered.  
"Look at Booth using the metric system," Hodgins grinned out.

"Don't get used to it. Strictly a military thing," Booth grunted.  
"We've stayed on the eastern half using the SUV as a reference point and we've gone to the edge of the-," Brennan cut him off by stopping suddenly and pointing. Lying next to a tree was a chute and the pack rolled up and lightly covered by a pile of leaves.

"Well there's one," Booth muttered petulantly. Pulling out a large evidence bag from her bag Brennan opened it. Hodgins snapped on gloves and shoved the chute into the bag making sure to keep his skin away from the evidence. Handing her bag over to Booth, she began digging in it for a bigger evidence bag for the pack. Finding it, she nodded to Hodgins who picked it up and put it in the bag.

He looked at Booth with his eyes twinkling.  
"Ha ha your holding her purse," Hodgins, pointed out.

"She doesn't carry a purse, this is a forensic pack," Booth shot back.  
"Logically it also serves as a purse. I carry things normal women carry in their purse, keys, tampons, lipstick, hair brush," Brennan casually remarked.

"Jeez Bones I don't want to hear that," Booth said his face turning pink. She smirked at him and Hodgins laughed.  
"That's okay when Angela goes to a scene with you she holds your purse," Booth taunted.

"He has a point Hodgins she does hold your bag," Brennan said with laughter in her eyes.  
"That is a forensic bag not a purse!"

"But you put your chap stick in it don't you? And your wallet?" Brennan laughed out.  
"Okay, okay let's see if we can find a second one before the sun goes down," Booth pushed. They started walking again looking in every direction. The found a second one a few hundred yards from the first one.

The sun had started to sink behind the skyline when they called it. Brennan took a small evidence marker and stuck it in the ground walking straight out to the field dropping markers every 10 feet or so. When they hit the edge of the tree line, she dropped the last one and they headed to the Escalade. They arrived at the hotel and planned on meeting after quick showers to go to dinner.

Booth jumped into the shower and she decided she needed to find something to wear. Digging through her bag Brennan pulled out her black baby tee with white writing on it. Grinning she pulled out her black bra. Next, she pulled out her jeans and underwear. She heard the shower stop and continued digging in her bag. She found it on the bottom a nice necklace silver and teal. Digging a little deeper she found the earrings.

She saw he had come out of the bathroom and she headed in after him. Pausing to run her hands down his back where the water had run from his hair. She watched as goose bumps popped up on his back. Grinning she walked into the bathroom and turned on the water. She began soaping her hair when the curtain was pulled open and she was snatched against his body.

He grinned against her smile and kissed her. Setting her back on her feet, he pulled the curtain closed and left the bathroom. She quickly finished her shower and stepped out. Seeing the hotel had a hair dryer, she blew her hair dry pulling it straight so it fell in waves. Wrapping the towel around herself she stepped out and Booth was sprawled on the bed in his boxers watching TV.

She shimmied out of her towel and picked up her panties. She pulled on her panties then put on her bra. Picking up her jeans, she pulled them on. Hmm she must have gained some weight these were tighter than she remembered. Turning to look over her shoulder, she checked to make sure they weren't indecent. Pulling on her top, she finished up by putting on her necklace. Stuffing her feet into a pair of sandals, she looked over to see Booth watching her.

Turning to face him fully she saw his jaw drop and he pulled her to him grinning from ear to ear.  
"Are you going to get dressed? Or were you planning on going out to eat like that?"

"I was thinking this is the south they're laid back I'll just go like this." He teased. Her eyes narrowed, she took a step back and she crossed her arms. Watching her eyes go dark blue as they did when she got mad made him smiled even bigger. Booth stood up, pulled on his jeans, and was fastening them when they heard a knock on the door.

Opening the door, she let Hodgins in.  
"Ahh so you let her have the shower first huh. It always takes women so much longer to get dressed." Brennan looked at Booth who grinned.

"Nope I was sitting on the bed watching TV. while she got ready. I was trying to decide whether to wear clothes or boxers." He pulled on his shirt and grabbed his wallet.

Hodgins saw writing on her shirt and stopped her so he could read it.  
"Special Agent Provocateur," Hodgins laughed as he read her shirt out loud.

"Where are on earth did you get that?"  
"Internet, have had it for awhile just don't dress down enough to wear it. Let's go I'm hungry."  
"She's hungry? Bones are you sure you re okay?" She laughed and walked ahead of them. They got in the truck and drove around until they found a place called Jan Mar's.

Walking in to the restaurant, they sat down and began to peruse the menu. Hodgins was babbling about how the bureau was just one big conspiracy. Booth was ignoring him and running his hand up Brennan's thigh and she was trying to ignore them both. Placing their orders, they discussed the case and came up with nothing.

After their food arrived, Brennan looked at Booth with a serious face.  
"I don't like Agent Braxton he made my skin slither."

"Bones he made your skin crawl not slither," Booth corrected automatically.  
"So you think he is in on this?" Booth asked skeptically.

"I don't know. I just said I didn't like him. I don't even know if he was there. That's your job, to make a list of suspects," She said pointing at him with her fork.  
"Dr. B what are you eating? That smells horrible," Hodgins said in horror.

"Collard greens and they're good you want a taste?" They shook their heads no emphatically.  
"What have you got Booth?"

"Chicken fried steak with gravy and fries." She eyeballed his fries.  
"Hodgins?"

"I got beef stew with biscuits."  
"I love southern biscuits but they are not good for you so I don't eat them often," Brennan told them.

Booth grinned at her guilty pleasure.  
"Ohhh reeaaallllyyy? You like something unhealthy?"

She grinned back.  
"There are quite a few bad things I enjoy however I do not eat them often," Brennan admitted.

"Are you kidding? I bought stock in Dagoba and Ben and Jerry's during your father's trial," Hodgins teased her. Brennan glared out from under her brows.  
"What's a Dagoba?"

"An organic vegan chocolate bar," Brennan explained and Booth made a face.  
"They're actually pretty good man. You should try them sometime," Hodgins told him.

"He won't he would rather eat Oreos," Brennan said making a face.  
"Don't knock Oreos," Booth exclaimed. Brennan snickered and snatched a fry. Booth swatted at her hand she grinned and snatched another one.

Hodgins laughed at them.  
"Is it always like this with you two?"

"Yes," said Booth.  
"No," said Brennan at the same time.

"Angela is right this is hot. You guys fight all the time and then get to have make-up sex. That is so awesome," Hodgins, grinned. Booth glared at Hodgins.  
"I don't know what that means," Brennan said.

The waitress came up and asked about dessert.  
"How good is your pie?"

"We have the best pie this side of the Mississippi," the waitress replied with a drawl. Booth grinned.  
"What kind of pie do you have?"

"Apple, Cherry, Pecan, Blackberry, Blueberry, Peach, Strawberry, Rhubarb, Key lime and Vanilla Cream. All flavors can be done ala mode and caramel can be used on any as well," the waitress recited mantra style. Booth rubbed his hands together grinning from ear to ear. Brennan smiled and chuckled to herself. Glancing at the menu, she ordered ambrosia while Booth drooled over the pie selection. Hodgins ordered a piece of Key lime pie.

Finally, Booth looked up and put on his charming smile.  
"I'll have a slice of apple pie ala mode with caramel."

"Good choice sir," the waitress gave him a slow wink. Booth rearranged his forks and rubbed his hands together in glee. Brennan grinned at him as he waited for his pie. He was like a kid in a candy shop. While they waited for their desserts they looked around at the people coming and going. The waitress brought them their desserts and Booth was in heaven.

"Oh my god this is the best pie ever. Ohhhh this is sooo good." After they finished their dessert Brennan shooed them to the truck so she could pay. As she was paying she put in an order for a pie to be shipped to her house. The waitress smiled and winked. Brennan laughed as she left. Arriving back at the hotel they went to their separate rooms.

She knocked on Hodgins door and he answered.  
"Since we're here and have the facilities I was going to wash our clothes do you want me to put yours in with mine?"

"Sure Dr. B I'd really appreciate that," Hodgins said appreciatively. She nodded and waited for him to gathering them up. An hour later the clothes were clean and she was ready for bed. She crawled in with Booth who was already asleep. Booth came awake at the knock on the door and snorted. He heard her groan and he kissed her temple.

He was in and out of the shower in fifteen and she still didn't want to get up. Laughing he snatched the covers back and she mock glared at him. Huffing she shuffled into the shower. Hodgins knocked on the door and Booth opened it and let him in. Sitting on the edge of the bed he watched Booth dig through Brennan's bag making a pile of clothing.

Booth opened the door to the bathroom and dropped them on the counter and closed the door again. He picked up a coffee and asked,  
"So what is the possibility of finding that bag before the sun goes down?"

"Pretty good we covered over half the ground yesterday. But you being better at jumping, what are the odds that the second parachute is near the first one," Hodgins questioned.  
"Considering they would want to high tail it out of the area quickly, pretty good. They would have left enough time for one to land and the second one to land without landing on top of them. I would say some type of special ops with jumping experience. Never mind they hid the chutes. Which given the way they were hidden again points toward special ops. You re taught to do that to hide your landings but still be able to retrieve the pack. Those things are expensive," Booth explained and Hodgins nodded.

"So we're going to look closer. Although those parachutes are pretty bright so maybe they will be easier to spot," Hodgins said thoughtfully.  
"Maybe," Booth agreed snagging a donut from the box.

He was getting ready to take a bite when it was snatched from his hand.  
"Hey!"

"Booth you know I hate those with the powdered sugar on them or worse," she shuddered "cooked fruit in them."  
She grinned at him and took a bite from the donut.

* * *

**A/N: Okay**  
**1. The escalade is actually based on a vehicle I saw on the discovery channel. It did in fact have water cannons on it and shock handles. However, I could not find the other specs in fact I couldn't find references to it all. I know it's out there somewhere. I remember thinking I want that SUV, so I could shoot tourists with the water cannons.**

**2. Jan Mar's is a diner in Kingsport, TN. And yes I went all sterotypical on the food. Had to thrown in some of the awesome food I had while traveling through TN.**

**I'm pathetic I live for reviews, so I would love some. They make my day happy! Any kind will do. Heck even if your not liking it tell me why.**


	12. Darker Side of Booth

Disclaimer: Usual disclaimer, don't own it, not making money off it, props to those who do own it.

* * *

_"Maybe," Booth agreed snagging a donut from the box. He was getting ready to take a bite when it was snatched from his hand. "Hey!"_

_"Booth you know I hate those with the powdered sugar on them or worse," she shuddered "cooked fruit in them." She grinned at him and took a bite from the donut._

* * *

He rolled his eyes as if that would stop him from eating that donut if he wanted it.  
Laughing he leaned over and whispered in her ear. Brennan inhaled and almost choked on the donut.

Hodgins started laughing.  
"Dr. B you re blushing, oh where is my camera, I've never seen you blush before," Hodgins said digging around for his cell phone. Her eyes shot daggers at him.

Shrugging she packed up their bags.  
"Might as well take everything with us that way if we find the parachute we can just drop by and check out," she suggested in her best logical tone.

"Good idea Dr. B. I'll go get my stuff together and meet you by the truck." He handed her the keys, which she turned over to Booth. He grinned and picked up their bags and headed out to the truck. They had just thrown the bags in the far back when Hodgins walked up to them.

Swinging his bag up into the back, he clapped his hands.  
"Let s get this show on the road."

"Can I drive this thing? It is so cool," Booth asked with a grin. Hodgins scanned him from head to toe and nodded then smiled. The climbed into the SUV and heard Booth let out an exclamation. Hodgins laughed and told him the seats auto adjusted for height and body weight. Booth shook his head.

"So if I wanted to buy one of these how much would it run me? Just out of curiosity," Booth asked.  
"Before or after my changes?"

"Before."  
"Dr. B can you reach in the glove compartment and hand me the book in there with a green cover." When she opened the glove compartment, she looked in and laughed. It was the size of a small filing cabinet.

Reaching she pulled out the book and handed it to Hodgins.  
"Before modifications it was 2.4 million. But I didn't like the riot water cannons and the colors. And I put in a small lab under the backseat." Booth sputtered and choked at the price.

Brennan laughed at his reaction.  
"Hodgins you had an issue with using the perfume when we were going to die but you will spend millions on the car?"

"I bought this after that situation. I try to live my life for the most part pay check to pay check but have discovered that sometimes it's nice to have money." Booth snorted and rolled his eyes at the two of them.  
Arriving at the site, they walked the tree line and found the markers. Walking back to the last marker Booth scanned the area.

They began walking and looking closer to the ground, they walked for about four hours when they heard Brennan call out,  
"Over here." She was squatting down trying to push a log over. Booth squatted down and gave the log a shove and it rolled over. Digging in her bag she pulled out evidence bags and gloves, she handed a pair to Hodgins.

They snapped them on and collected the parachutes. Sifting around under the log to make sure, they got everything she pulled out a piece of cord. Holding it in one hand, she reached in her bag and pulled out another bag. Putting it in the bag, she pulled her gloves off and labeled the bag carefully.

"Let's go home," Booth, said clapping his hands together. As they stopped at the end of the dirt road, she asked Booth to pause and he did. She pulled out a pen and paper, wrote down, and address.  
"Okay now let s go home."

Four and a half hours later found them pulling up to the door to the elevator at the Jeffersonian.  
"You two take the evidence and go up, don't stop, don't talk and if you hear anything run. Got it?"

Brennan just glared at him, grabbed her bag, and opened the door. Hodgins opened the door and got out. Pulling everything from the back, they headed to the lab. Booth walked into the lab a few moments later to find Hodgins and Brennan digging through the evidence and beginning to process it.

"Like a kid in a candy shop," he muttered.  
"Agent Booth I have a profile for you, maybe we should discuss this," Sweets told him.

"Bones your office now. Sweets has a profile for us." Nodding she headed to her office. As she was walking off the platform she heard Wendell call out,  
"There are four skeletons ready for your final examination when you re ready Dr. Brennan."

"If you need more room on the platform then moved them to limbo," She called over her shoulder. Wendell nodded and went back to work. Brennan strode into her office and sat down on the couch next to Booth. Sliding her shoes off she gave a sigh.  
"I should have brought my boots instead of my running shoes," She muttered and Booth laughed.

Sweets walked in, sat down in a chair, and looked at them.  
"As this has been under the radar I have not filled out the profile sheet. When I do that, I have to file it with the FBI. In this situation, that is not a good idea. This person is very straightforward on the surface. This person is not too high up the chain but more than just an agent. He has a position to lose. He is out in the field. He has military training and is working with someone else in another department. Although several of the agents fit the profile, none of them are a close enough match for me to say which it is. I have narrowed it down from 25 to these five."

"We figured he was in the military more specifically special ops. Jump training," Booth told him.  
"All five of these are special ops," Sweets pointed out and Booth nodded.

"This person is going to keep control while being interrogating. They will try to control the conversation but not to the point of being obvious. They know how the system works and will be ready for just about anything," Sweets said in his grown up psychologist voice. Booth nodded again and sighed. He left the room and went to Angela's office to make a phone call.

He knocked and she called come in. He walked in and Angela was straddling Hodgins lap.  
"I'm just going to make a call. Don't get up your fine. It'll only take a moment," Booth said his cheeks turning a faint pink color. Angela laughed but stayed put.

Booth made his call and groaned. He sighed, left the room, and closed the door. Walking back to Brennan's office he looked at Sweets and Brennan.  
"Tomorrow we talk to all twenty agents. Cullen is having the ones not already here flown in tonight. We'll be heading over early so make sure you get to sleep early."

Sweets snorted and looked at them.  
"We don't need as much sleep as a growing twelve year old," Booth said teasingly. Sweets just laughed and got up and walked out.

"Bones no later than ten. If you re not in bed by ten I will haul you in here bodily got it?" She smirked at him knowing he wouldn't actually do that to her. She got up and walked out to the platform pulling on her lab coat and snapping on gloves. She walked into limbo and picked up a clipboard.

Dinnertime found her still with the remains. Booth dropped her off a plate and left her to work.  
At ten p.m., her watch beeped and she looked up. She had just finished with the last victim and saw Booth standing in the doorway.

She smiled at him and he smiled back. He held out his hand, she took her gloves off and put them in her pocket, walking over she put her hand in his. He pulled her to her office and pointed to the bed.  
"Sleep," he ordered. She laughed and grabbed her toiletries and headed to the bathroom. She opened the door to her office and found Booth lying on the air mattress with arm behind his head.

Walking to her bag, she pulled out her pajamas and slipped into them. Crawling into the bed, she wrapped herself around him and fell asleep with a smile on her face. The next morning her computer went off playing La Grange. Booth rolled his eyes note to self he thought; buy her a travel alarm clock. Getting out of the bed carefully he turned it off.

Grabbing his stuff, he headed to the shower. He heard the shower running so he went to the lounge and made coffee. When he got back the shower was empty, he made quick work of his shower. Going back to the office, he found her still asleep. Leaning over her, he pulled the pillow off her head she had placed there at some point. He placed soft kisses on her face and neck until she started to groan.

"Come on sleepy head. Get your coffee, get your shower; we have to head over to the Hoover." She sighed squinted up and him and pouted. Seeing that it got her nowhere she went and took her shower and got dressed. She thought it was appropriate to wear another of her FBI shirts. When she went to get her coffee Booth saw her shirt and got a sappy grin on his face.

She heard Wendell pretending to make vomiting noises behind her. Looking over her shoulder in confusion she almost ran right into Booth who was holding her coffee and standing in front of her.  
"I'll explain later Bones." She nodded and sat down to drink her coffee. Rebecca wandered up to the lounge and poured herself a cup of coffee. She looked at him and Brennan on the couch and smiled at them.

She started laughing at Booth with that sappy look on his face.  
"We have to go to the Hoover to question some people today so if you need anything ask Cam she'll be more than happy to help you." Rebecca nodded thankful that there was enough to keep the children occupied.

When Sweets joined them, they headed for the Hoover. Entering the back door Booth turned and looked at Sweets.  
"I'm going to the locker room to change into a suit I have there. Take her to my office and Bones make sure no one hurts the kid please." Booth grinned and walked off.

Sweets and Brennan got in the elevator and headed to Booth's office. As they walked through the bullpen, she saw two lines of chairs at the edges of the desks. Agents sat in them waiting, some reading some texting on their phones. As she and Sweets walked by, she heard a whistle.

Before she knew it, one of the younger agents grabbed her butt. She heard Charlie yell oh shit. She swung around, grabbed his hand and yanked the agent on the floor. As he was falling forward, she twisted his arm up behind his neck. She planted her foot on his neck. The elevator door opened and Booth saw her with an agent on the floor.

Sighing he stepped over to them. Squatting down he cocked his head so he could see the agents face.  
"Gerroffe me" Booth looked at the list in his hand.

"You touched her didn't you Agent Finely?" He nodded.  
"Did you touch her without her permission or did you piss her off and then touch her?"

"Ferrrun," Finely tried to answer. Booth raised his eyebrow and sighed.  
"Bone ease up but leave him on the floor." She eased up on her foot so he could pull his head up off the carpet.

"Attention agents not from the D.C. offices. This is Dr. Temperance Brennan, Forensic Anthropologist from the Jeffersonian. She does not like being touched unless it is invited. Except for a few of you, she has seen more death, been to worse places, had more guns pulled on her and been through worse than anything you can imagine. Now if you touch her she gets defensive, she was nice to Agent Finely. She didn't break any of his bones. Trust me she knows where they all are, and how to break them to make the rest of your life painful. On a side note, if you touch her and she doesn't break your bones I will shoot you. This is your only warning."

They heard agents from around the office huff out laughs. The D.C. agents looked at the agents from Houston and shook their heads letting them know he would do as threatened. Sweets watched as they started rushing to Charlie's desk and papers traded hands. He grinned they were betting on something. Brennan stepped over Agent Finley's neck, turned, and started walking to Booth's office.

When they reached his office, they stepped in the door. He turned his back to the bullpen and pulled her into his arms. He leaned in and softly kissing her mouth. Whispering against her lips,  
"Don't kill any of them please." She smiled against his. The agents at their desks started clapping and whistling.

The Deputy Director stepped up behind them and cleared his throat. Turning around Booth smiled sheepishly and Brennan peeked around his shoulder and smiled with her eyes twinkling. With his back to the other agents, he grinned at the pair.

Eyes full of laughter he muttered,  
"About time." Booth schooled his features into blankness that warned the Deputy Director that someone was behind him.

Turning around he looked at the agent behind him.  
"Can I help you agent?"

"Sir I thought those kinds of relationships were against policy?"  
"What relationships?" Cullen said playing stupid.

"They were just kissing. I saw it."  
"I didn't see anything. Did any of the rest of you see anything?" The D.C. agents shook their heads no.

"Nope we didn't see anything."  
"I think Agent that you may have been imagining things. Booth often has to correct Dr. Brennan on our policies and such. He does so in a manner that will save her embarrassment. She is a valuable resource for this department." Cullen nodded curtly and stalked off leaving the agent looking like a fish out of water.

Booth raised his eyebrow at the man and gestured for him to return to his seat in the bullpen.  
"Okay let s get this started," Booth muttered.

Twelve hours later, they were only half way through the list of agents. As the last agent for the day walked in Brennan sighed and they heard Sweets in their ears,  
"This agent is overly aggressive, maybe because Dr. Brennan kicked his ass, but I think he's going to be a problem."

Then they heard Cullen in their ears.  
"Agent Booth I will be outside the door please give me your gun. I do not want Dr. Brennan shooting any agents."

Booth wiped his hand down his face, got up, and went to the door. He handed over his gun when he heard the agent croon at Brennan. Turning around he found her eyes narrowed and almost navy blue in anger.  
"I can make you forget that old guy," he said to her in a crooning voice. He reached across the table and grabbed her wrist holding her hand.

Her eyes flashed.  
"You really are stupid aren't you? Not just the general dumber than me but the stupid to the point of no common sense," she said in a low growl. He squeezed her wrist in anger. Booth heard her bones in her wrist pop together. Before he could blink, she had twisted her wrist so she could grab his.

He started to back towards her.  
"Bones no don't!" Booth yelled as he ran over to try to pull her off him. Before he could he saw her do something she had done before.

Flinching he watched as she slammed his wrist down on the table. The sound of his wrist breaking in more than one place bounced around the room.  
"Bones," he sighed as the man screamed in pain.

"Just get him some ice. He can finish this interview," she spat out. She sat down, pushed her chair back from the table, and crossed her arms.  
"I will pay for his medical if the FBI won't. It would be worth it," She growled out.

They heard Cullen laugh into their earpieces.  
"Not necessary Dr. Brennan. He put his hands on you in an offensive manner. He will be placed on suspension while his actions are being investigated."

The door behind Agent Finley opened and an ice pack was thrown at him. It hit him in the back of the head. Apparently, his actions had made it to the bullpen and the people were showing their attachment to Bones thought Booth. Brennan walked around, picked it up, and dropped it in front of him.

Leaning over she suggested,  
"You may want to get ice on that before it starts to swell and becomes extremely painful." He flinched away from her and Booth sniggered.

Booth looked him straight in the face and said,  
"Good News, Finley Old Boy! You don't have an inferiority complex. You're simply inferior."

Brennan's eyes twinkled as they finished their questioning. When they made their way back to Booth's office, they saw a stack of files on his desk. Brennan groaned and Booth pulled her into a hug. He glared at Finley over her shoulder. His eyes were black with the promise of death in them. Finley stared back until Charlie whispered in his ear. Finley went white and Booth gave him an evil smile.

Letting her go he pushed her and Sweets towards the elevator. Following behind them, he stopped and leaned over and looked Finley in the face.  
"Agent Finley, you have no idea what it's like to do the things I have done...and care. I don't like to kill but if I see you anywhere near, Bones again you will never see death coming. Do we understand each other," Booth said in a deadly whisper.

Finley nodded with a glazed look in his eyes. Booth straightened up and headed to the elevator whistling. When the doors of the elevator closed, the agents heard her say,  
"Booth I can take care of myself."

"I know you can baby. But it was fun to scare him, between the two of us I think he will think twice before even looking at you." They climbed into the SUV and headed back to the Jeffersonian.  
As they walked into the lab, they heard Cam call out,  
"Booth what the hell did you ask for? My fax machine has been printing for the last forty minutes."

Booth groaned and glared at Sweets who just shrugged.  
"I'll be in the office if you need me. We have another 12 hour day tomorrow," Booth stated.

Everyone waved as he walked past. Booth entered the office closed the blinds and stripped. He flopped on his back ont the couch and tucked his hand behind his head. Staring at the ceiling he tried to compartmentalize like Bones did. It was just not working. Brennan had picked up a clipboard when she saw Booth stalk by. Setting her clipboard down she saw the blinds drop after he went in.

She gently pushed the door open and found him lying on his back with his hands behind his head staring at the ceiling. Closing the door behind her, she took off her shoes and crawled in with him. Sprawling on top of him, she set her hands and chin on his chest. He glanced down at her and smiled. The smile never reached his eyes. So she turned her head to the side and quietly sat.

He pulled his hands out from under his head and wrapped them around her. They sat quietly together him running his hands up and down her back and her just laying waiting for him to speak.  
He finally gave a big sigh.

"This is very hard for me to objectify. This case is hitting very close to home. One of these people, one of these agents did this. They caused these deaths. Ten agents dead and for what, what the heck could be so important?" She sighed and smoothed her hands across his chest.

"We will catch whoever this is and we will find out why. We always have," she promised soothingly. He rubbed his hands down her back and kissed the top of her head. She lay on top of him until she heard his breath even out and felt his body relax. Shifting off him carefully she leaned over and kissed his forehead. She slipped her shoes on and slipped out of the office.

Going back to limbo, she picked her clipboard up and began examining the remains. Wendell s examination was exacting and she did not notice anything that he had not seen. Moving to the next set of remains, she picked up the clipboard picking up each bone and turning them in her hands, she reviewed Wendell's work. Everything was marked, as it should be. Sighing she picked up the hyoid and put it under the magnifying glass.

Looking closer she noticed something. Going to the computer, she pulled up the scan of the bone and scrolled in. Leaning forward to look closer she picked up the clipboard and made a notation. Walking back to the skeleton she noticed that the disclosed oblique fracture on the hand was noted but was said to be caused by the plane crash. Walking back to the computer she pulled it up and took a closer look.

She zoomed in and leaned over to look. She noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye. Glancing over she saw Booth leaning against the door wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else. She smiled at him. He walked over and asked.  
"What did you find?"

"You see this fracture on the hand?"  
"Looks like his hand was shattered. Happen in the crash?"

"No look at the fracture there are more pieces here in the center and it thins as it spreads out across the hand. He had his hand hooked in something and was pulling it or holding it away from him."  
"Like a seat belt?"

"No like a rope. All of the remains from the plane were dead before they crashed. This is a defensive wound. The mark in the hyoid is not as deep. These men were garroted with a 1/4in wire or string."  
"Okay now come to bed its one o'clock in the morning."

She looked at her watch and nodded. She followed him back to her office stripped down and crawled into the bed. He pulled off his jeans and crawled in beside her.

The computer went off at six to Hot Blooded. Scrambling off the bed Brennan ran to her computer and tapped in a couple of commands the music stopped and she tapped in more. Glaring at the screen, she rubbed her face. Booth sat up and watched her.

"You okay Bones?"  
"hmm yeah I'm fine."

"Fine?"  
"Yes fine," she stated in a cold tone.

She walked over grabbed her shower stuff and started to walk out the door.  
"Bones, the lab is starting to wake up and as much as I enjoy seeing you like that and I'm sure the rest of the lab would like to see you like that. I don't want to have to shoot someone this early in the morning,"

Booth pointed out her attire. She looked down at herself, picked up her robe, shrugged into it and tied it closed. She practically ran from the room leaving a bewildered Booth sitting in the bed. Booth sat waiting for her to come back.

Fifteen minutes later, she came back through the door and Boot was sitting on the couch waiting for her.  
"Bones what was that all about?"

"Nothing I'm fine," she reiterated.  
"Bones," he said questioningly. She gave a deep sigh and sat down.

* * *

**Okay so I had to much fun writing the over protective/darker side of Booth. **

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! I LOVE READING THEM. **


	13. James

Disclaimer: I don't own Bones..or any other copy righted stuff I may write about. I don't make any money with it. Blah blah...no infringement intended.

**A/N Cremant thanks for pointing that out. I try to ignore that episode, dying kids just..well they make me cry. But you're right. This chapter is mostly filler guys sorry, it's a set up for players in the sequel.**

* * *

_Nothing I'm fine," she reiterated._  
_"Bones," he said questioningly. She gave a deep sigh and sat down._

* * *

She gave a deep sigh and sat down. Running through her hair, she massaged her scalp.  
"I took that song off my computer and threw the disc away," she told him.

"Why it is a great song?"  
"Every time I hear that song, I hear the bomb go off," she shuddered "and I see you lying on the floor. It's irrational I know."

Booth got up, pulled her up to his chest, and rubbed his hand down her back.  
"Shhh okay I understand. Just talk to me next time okay?" She nodded against his chest and shuddered again.

"Now I'm going to go shower." He grabbed his clothes and headed to the shower. When he was done, he put his stuff back into the office and headed to the lounge. When he arrived, Brennan handed him a cup of coffee and set a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him. He ate and sipped his coffee as everyone who met in the morning filtered into the lounge.

"So what evidence have we found?" He asked everyone. Looking around he waited for answers. Cam answered first.  
"The victims from the plane have no drugs in their system other than one of them had alcohol in their system. Not enough to be drunk but it was there. One had contusions on his hand that the others did not. I am hoping Dr. Brennan will be able to help us determine what caused the contusions. That same victim that I found those contusions on had DNA under his nails. I am running the tests."

Booth nodded knowing Brennan had already determined what the fractures were caused by. Looking at Hodgins, he cocked his head in question.  
"I have found skin particulates on the rope we brought back. I found several spots with blood on them. I put the rope in Cams office for DNA comparison. I also found hair on one of the agents in the van accident that did not belong to him. I am starting on the packs and lines to check for finger prints."

Looking at Angela, he waited.  
"I did a comparison of the flight logs and boarding lists. The list said there should be six people on the plane including the pilot and co-pilot. However, there were only four bodies. I ran the names through the database however those names do not exist in either the FBI human resources or the NCIS."

Booth scrunched his eyes, thought for a second, and nodded.  
"What about Dr. Brennan are you not going to ask her?" Tori asked eyes glaring.

"I was thinking Tori and I will ask her in a moment," Booth snapped at her.  
"I have found that all four of them have been garroted. It would appear that it was done with the Kevlar suspension lines from a parachute. But we need to cast the wounds and test the lines first. The fractures on the hands are from defensive wounds."

"Okay time for us to do our thing. We are off to the Hoover we will be back in about twelve hours. Sweets a twelve year old should not have coffee. Come on," Booth gestured.  
Everyone split up and went their separate ways.

Brennan, Booth and Sweets made their way to the Hoover. As they stepped into the bullpen they saw, the guys run to Charlie's desk.  
Papers started trading hands in hushed whispers.

"Booth what are they doing."  
"Placing bets on who you re going to beat up today," Booth choked out. Sweets laughed at her expression.

They spent six hours questioning the other twelve agents and arrived to Booth's office to find more files. Groaning again Brennan picked them up and headed to the elevator. Arriving back at the lab Brennan walked to her office and dropped the files on her desk. Sweets and Booth began reviewing the files for the information they needed.

She pulled a lab coat over her jeans and tank top. Walking towards the platform, she swiped her card. She walked up to one of the bodies from the shooting. She shuddered as she recognized the body on the table. She didn't know his name but she recognized his face from the bullpen. She looked over the body and snapped on her gloves.

Picking up an evidence tray and using a pair of tweezers pulled a bullet from his frontal bone. Dropping it in the petri dish, she set it to the side. She watched as Hodgins pulled one from his thoracic cavity. She was about to begin looking for more particulates when she saw movement from the corner of her eye. Looking up she saw someone standing at the door.

Walking to the door, she snapped her gloves off she walked down the steps and swiped her card. Walking to the door, she pushed the button for the speaker.  
"Can I help you?"

The young man looked up and smiled. "I was wondering if I could talk to Maste...Mr. Booth please," he asked politely.  
She narrowed her eyes at him, looked at him from head to foot.

"One moment I will go get him," she told him. She walked to her office put her head in the door and said,  
"Booth there is someone at the door for you. I believe that he is someone you know from the military."

Booth's eyes narrowed and he started walking towards the door. She stepped back and let him out. She followed him as far as the platform. Swiping her card, she walked back to the body. She moved carefully down the body scanning for particulates. Finding pieces of something in his hair, she began tweezing them carefully into a petri dish.

She felt his presence she asked,  
"Is there something you need Booth? I really need to continue this exam so Cam can take over the body." Booth chuckled.

"Bones I would like you to meet someone." She looked up without straightening. She saw the young man standing beside Booth. He looked a little pale and had his eyes closed.  
"Booth it was not advisable to bring him onto the platform. He could compromise the evidence. You may want to take him to the lounge or get that bio-hazard trash can."

Booth looked over at the young man and chuckled, "I'll take him up to the lounge."  
Brennan nodded and said.  
"I'll be up there as soon as I label these and put them over on Hodgins cart."

She began labeling and the men headed off to the lounge. They reached the lounge and the young man looked at Booth.  
"That is some kind of woman who can look at a travesty like that and not be bothered or sick, he told Booth.

"She works with dead bodies for a living. I've seen her not get sick over some pretty disgusting scenes. But do not let that fool you. She is in full blown squint mode so this is bothering her more than she is showing," Booth said carefully.

"Squint mode?"  
"You know they squint at things they're squints. And squint mode is when either she or one of the others start speaking in a language only other squints would understand," he explained.

As he finished speaking Brennan walked up the steps, Parker bounding up behind her.  
"You know we dislike it when people call us squints," She glared at him. He just laughed.

"Bones I would like you to meet Private James. Private James this is Dr. Temperance Brennan and that is my son Parker." James stuck out his hand to shake, clasping his hand she smiled at him.  
"It's just Robert James now. I have been discharged and the rank no longer matters."

"It is nice to meet you Mr. James. You served with Booth in Afghanistan?"  
"Yes he taught me a lot about being sneaky." Brennan cut her eyes to Booth for clarification.

"He means I taught them some scouting and sniper skills. I hope you don't mind I invited him to stay for dinner." She shrugged at him.  
"So you fought with my dad in Africanistan?" Parker asked quizzically.

"Afghanistan," Brennan corrected automatically.  
"Yes I did Parker and it is very nice to meet you. Your dad spoke about you often." James smiled at Parker. Parker grinned back

"Why would I mind if he stayed for dinner Booth? You re in charge of security if he does not represent a threat to the case you obviously would not have let him in the lab. Now if you will excuse me I have another body to examine so they can deflesh the bones for me."

Nodding to James, she walked down onto the platform and began the examination with Hodgins on the second body. They worked for three more hours with Booth dropping lunch off to her. He explained what the squints did to James and how they were like family, he took him on a tour of the lab with Parker following his father around.

Around four o'clock Booth went up to the platform where Brennan was standing doing a last look at the victim.  
"Come on Bones, come up to the lounge and sit down. You have been really rough on your leg. You have not been treating it like the doctor told you to."

She groaned and followed him to the lounge. They found James sitting there sipping coffee. Grabbing a cup for each of them, she sat down next to Booth. Parker bound up the steps and climbed in his father's lap. She handed him his cup and stretched her legs out on the couch.

"So you two seem pretty comfortable here at this lab. I have to admit that when you talked about a lab I didn't imagine it was like this. I always pictured some underground dark hole in the ground," James said looking around. Brennan looked at him and rolled her eyes.

Parker gave his input.  
"This place is awesome. Max does a club after school for kids. I get to come and we do experiments."

James smiled and said seriously,  
"That sounds awesome." Parker nodded in agreement.

"We have funding from a museum with several donors as well as some funding from the government. Due to our contract with the FBI, we handle more than just identification. We handle evidence from murder investigations. Which means we need the best equipment," Brennan explained taking a sip of her coffee.

"Yeah never mind the best squints in their fields," snorted Booth. James laughed at them.  
"You were not joking about the bickering were you?"

"They always talk like this but they aren't always mad," Parker told him seriously.  
"Not in the least. It is how we communicate," Brennan said with a wince as she moved her leg. Sitting up she started to massage her leg. Booth slid over behind her so she was supported by his side.

Leaning to look over her shoulder, he asked,  
"Swelling? I told you not to stand for that long."

"Yes it is swelling but not so bad I have to wear your sweat pants," she said sarcastically. James roared in laughter thinking she was kidding. She looked over at him and narrowed her eyes.

Booth looked over at James and explained,  
"She was on a dig in Makapoopoo when she was bit by a death adder, a deadly poisonous snake. She almost died. I am her medical proxy, which is why I left in such a hurry."

"Maluku," she corrected.  
"You got bit by a snake Bones? Can I see?" She nodded and pulled up her pant leg that showed a big bruise. Parker looked at it with interest.

"That is so cool Bones I'll have to tell my science class about this. Can I?'  
"Sure Parker we will put together some pictures and information about the Acanthephis antarchiacus okay?"

"That would be cool," Parker said excitedly. Brennan smiled at him.  
"How did you get discharged Booth? We all thought you were coming back and were told you had been discharged," James said curiously.

"General Carter owes Bones here some favors," Booth told him nodding at Brennan. James's mouth fell open in shock.  
"How do you get a general to owe you favors?" Brennan looked at him and in a serious tone replied,

"You parachute into an active war zone and identify bodies from massive fires and explosions. You go into a post war zone and spend six months digging through hip high graves identifying bodies in a place that is still controlled by guerrillas. And some other things that I am not allowed to mention," Brennan said swiftly.

Parker giggled.  
"It was controlled by monkeys?"

Brennan grinned.  
"Not monkeys Parker Guerrillas and they are not monkey either. You'll have to ask Max about the difference between monkeys and guerrillas. He will tell you all about it."

"Jeez, Bones what is your security clearance?" James questioned.  
"Higher than anyone you know," she said with a serious face.

"Is she kidding Booth?" Booth shook his head no.  
"She is all about the truth and can be blunt at times with it. She is the best in the the world. She has three doctorates, is literally a genius and can shoot better than most guys I have taught, and can physically kick your as- butt without you even realizing it. She knows kinesiology and the bone structure. Even worse than that she has enough experience that if she wanted to she could commit the perfect murder."

"Thank you Booth. What are we having for dinner?" She smiled at him, swung her legs onto the coffee table and put her head on Booth's shoulder. James laughed  
"Sid is sending over food," Booth told her.

"Is he bringing it dad?" Park asked in excitement.  
"No bub sorry."

"I hope he sends over some spicy bean curd," she said hopefully. James looked at her,  
"That is just not natural. Wrong so wrong," James muttered.

"Yeah Bones eats weird," Parker told him. Brennan made a face at him that made him laugh.  
"I do not eat weird," she said defensively.

"Don't start James or you will end up with an hour lecture on the anthropological lessons on vegetarianism. Or about pesticides and your gnardicles," Booth warned. Brennan looked at him in confusion and he grinned.

"Alligators...pesticides...," Booth prompted the memory and her face lit up.  
"Do I even want to know?" James asked with a laugh.

"No you don't and I won't explain with little ears," Booth said.  
"You know Dr. Brennan you look really familiar to me. I mean I know I saw your picture next to Booth's bed at the camp. But other than that and I just can't place it."

Brennan started in surprise and glanced up at Booth who just shrugged and grinned.  
"She writes, Bred in the Bone, Red Tape White Bones, Free Bone," Booth pointed out.

James eyes lit up with recognition and he smiled. Brennan gave a deep sigh and before he asked, she told him,  
"Yes subconsciously Andy was based on Booth. No, you can't read my newest book unless you have pre-ordered it. Yes I will sign a book for you if you have one."

James laughed out,  
"I see you have been asked these questions before." She nodded.

"So you've made a lot of money then? Why do you still work here?" James asked curiously.  
"I'm still Jenny from the block according to Angela. I think that is in reference to my money but I'm not sure what it means exactly. As for your second question I write for fun but forensic anthropology is my first love," she told him.

"Are you serious? You know the song don t be fooled by the rocks that I got. I'm still, I m still Jenny from the block," James said laughing at her confusion.  
"It means that even though you have lots of money you don't throw it around," Booth explained. She nodded in understanding.

"While we eat dinner and see if you can recognize any of the other characters in the book floating around the lab," Booth grinned as he said. They heard a knock on the door. Brennan and Parker walked down the stairs together and grabbed a rolling table. Taking the food from the cart outside the door Brennan handed it to Parker who put it on the cart inside the door. Booth and James came down the stairs.

"Bones go have a seat in limbo I'll push this in," Booth told her. She huffed and hobbled off to limbo calling out behind her,  
"You know I hate it when you call it that."

"Limbo?" James asked.  
"I ll explain later." Booth and James followed Brennan to limbo. The scientists came in one by one to find the three of them sitting there.

The squint squad sat down with them and looked at James waiting for Booth to introduce him.  
"Squint squad, Rebecca meet Robert James. James meet the squint squad Angela Montenegro-Hodgins, Dr. Jack Hodgins, Dr. Camille Saroyan, Dr. Lance Sweets, Dr. Wendell Bray, Dr. Clark Edison, and Dr. Arastoo Viziri, Mr. Nigel Vincent-Murray and Mr. Colin Fisher." He nodded to them as they said hi.

"I don't think I've ever eaten with this many doctors before," James chuckled out. Brennan opened her food, inhaled the smell of her food.  
"Oh spicy bean curd." Booth gave her a grin and chuckled.

"I have never seen that," James pointed at Booth with his chopsticks "particular look on his face before."  
"Oh that grin is reserved for Bren. The only time I see it is when she's with him. Been missing for awhile but has recently come back into sight," Angela smiled out James burst into laughter.

Rebecca giggled into her food.  
"She is definitely in Bred in the Bone," James said pointing to Angela.

"They are fictional characters they are not based on anybody," Brennan said as if it were a chant. Everyone at the table laughed. Dr. Sweets was observing James quizzically. James looked at him and narrowed his eyes.  
"I don't swing that way Dr. Sweets."

"Yeah Sweets he doesn't like twelve year old boys," Booth teased. Everyone at the table burst into laughter at Sweets face. Brennan rolled her eyes and unobtrusively pointed to Parker while poking Booth under the table.

"Dr. Sweets is trying to determine your relationship with Booth as that has yet to be explained. Dr. Sweets practices the soft science of psychology," Brennan explained.  
"He served with in Afghanistan and just got back Sweets." Sweets nodded and went back to eating.

"So is it always this relaxed here. I would have thought it would be more-"  
"Professional?" Clark piped in.

"Yeah."  
"We are working a high security case that has caused us to lock down the lab. We've been living here for the better part of a week," Sweets told him.

"Living here?"  
"Yes eating, sleeping, showering, working you know living here," Booth said laughing at the look on his face.

"I usually expect a more professional dress code. However given the situation casual clothes help to keep everyone comfortable thus less cranky," Cam told James.  
"So you re the boss?"

"You could say that. According to the paper work I am but we all know Dr. Brennan runs this lab," Cam said nonchalantly. As they were starting to dig into their desserts, Booth looked at James.  
"Found them all yet?" James nodded but cocked his head.

"There is one missing though the virginal one from Bred in the Bone." He saw Brennan shudder and Booth reach out and squeeze her hand.  
Brennan looked at James and in a flat tone said. "Dr. Zach Addy was determined to be Mentis non compos during a serial killer case."

Standing up abruptly, she left the room with her dessert still on the table. Booth stood up to follow. Angela waved him down and followed Brennan to the bathroom.  
"Is Bones okay daddy?"

"Yeah bub Angela is going to make sure she is."  
"I'm sorry I didn't know I wouldn't have said anything," James rushed out. Everyone looked at him and gave small smiles.

"It's okay James none of us expected it and it hit us hard. Unfortunately, he was Bones graduate student that she was extremely attached to him. Zach was family and it hurt. Kid was past and beyond a genius," Booth explained. Everyone began talking about Zach and his abilities and smiling to wipe away the memory.

Hodgins talked about the experiments they did that had James laughing.  
"Zach used to do some awesome experiments. Him and the bug man blew stuff up, it was cool!" Parker squealed out.

Rebecca shot Booth a glare and he just shrugged.  
"That kid could do equations unlike you have ever seen. You know how our gun had equipment to help aim and give us best trajectory. He would look and in a few seconds determine everything. It was scary." Booth laughed out.

Everyone nodded and smiled.  
Angela and Brennan came back in.  
"I'm very sorry Dr. Brennan I did not mean to bring up painful memories," James apologized. She smiled at him her eyes a little puffy.

"It was unintentional there was no way for you to know." As she finished off her dessert, she heard James ask about the lighting in limbo. Before she could reply, she heard Booth say.  
"It's Ultraviolet light used to keep the bones from being destroyed by germs.

Everyone stopped eating and stared at him in shock.  
"What I've spent five years with you guys. Did you think I was not going to learn anything?"

"So there are bones in those drawers? Why is it called limbo then?" Angela looked at him and replied.  
"There are over 10,000 unidentified souls in this room, going all the way to the front of the building. When we are not working on a case, we are identifying them. They are from around the world, some centuries old, some MIA's from Vietnam and some as close as Afghanistan. We give them their names and faces back." James nodded with respect.

"Hey Angela can you show him how the angelator works with one of these skulls?" Booth asked.  
"Yeah can you Angela? The angelator is soooo cool," Parker cheered.

"Sure I'm not working on anything right now. Bren will have to put on tissue markers first." Brennan looked up and nodded. Everyone cleaned up their plates and the room cleared out. Parker followed Angela to her office and Rebecca went back to her work.

Brennan looked around.  
"How about you pick a drawer?" Booth nodded at James and he walked down an aisle. Brennan followed and when he pointed to a drawer, she pulled it out.

"Before I can place tissue markers I need to do a quick exam okay?" James nodded and watched as she laid the bones out anatomical and picked up a sheet of paper.  
"What is she doing?" James whispered to Booth.

"Determining sex, ethnicity, height and age," Booth told him.  
"Seriously?"

"Yeah it's unlike anything you've ever seen. What do you have Bones?"  
"Male, African American, 198.12 centimeters, or 6.5 feet tall." She put all the bones except the skull back into the drawer, placing the sheet in the drawer.

She walked around the table and opened at drawer under the table they had been sitting at. Pulling out the skull stand and tissue markers, she sat down on the other side of the table so James could see what she was doing. Picking up the skull and turning it in her hands, she began placing the tissue markers. When she was done, she picked up the skull and started for the door.

Booth and James followed her to Angela's office.  
"This is amazing James you have never ever seen anything as cool as this," Booth told him with a grin.

When they walked in Angela lowered the lights and sat down with the skull next to her. The faint yellow glow of the angelator holographic square lit up.  
"African American?" Brennan nodded. Angela input the data and the skull appeared on the holograph.

James gasped and Booth smiled.  
"It gets better watch." Angela looked at the skull and put in the first data and muscle over laid the skull. She put in the tissue markers and skin formed over the muscle. She then put in eyes and hairstyle.

"That is the coolest thing I have ever seen," James whispered. Just as Booth had done, he reached his hand through the holograph.  
"Then we would run it through different databases to determine who next of kin was if he had any. Dr. Brennan would have determined where we should start searching by examining the bones. We would pack him in a tasteful crate, contact the family and send the remains to the family," Angela explained.

"That is just so awesome. How many do you do?"  
"I try to do five a week. But when we are working on a case I only usually do two," Brennan told him.

"How does someone get a job here to work with you guys?" Booth looked at James.  
"Well, you can go to school for four years, submit an application and if your scores are high enough Bones might accept your application. You then do your doctorate work and become a PHD. Or you could be an FBI agent and she might work with you when I'm in the hospital," Booth said with a smirk.

Looking at his watch, he realized they had been in there for three hours.  
"It's getting late, why don't you just crash here for the night. You can sleep on the couch in Bones office. Bub you need to get in your pajamas and go to bed." James looked like he'd been given a present.

"That would be awesome if you don't mind of course Dr. Brennan."  
"No I don't mind, just to let you know the alarm goes off at six am." He nodded.

They walked out to the lab and Cam breezed by stating,  
"Wendell has begun the defleshing in lab 2." Brennan nodded and went to check on the progress. Booth and James followed her to the lab.

Hodgins was dumping jars of beetles into a case with piles of bones in it. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at them.  
"Dermestidae Coleptera. They are more commonly known as flesh eating beetles." James looked closer and shuddered.

Wendell was dropping the second body into the glass boiling case.  
"Wendell take a night off have Mr. Nigel-Murray do that," Brennan said to Wendell. Wendell nodded with a smile.

"Using a Mr. in front of their names puts them in their places. Otherwise he would be a first name basis or Dr. so and so," Booth told James.  
"There is no Dr. so and so here Booth," Brennan said with a frown. The men burst out laughing at her. She glared over her shoulder and left the room. Heading back to the lounge she sat down.

The men joined her and sat down as well.  
"So I take it you spend a lot of time here Booth?"

Booth sat and thought about it for a minute and Brennan chuckled.  
"Yeah you could say that. I don't pull all nighters like Bones but I constantly am here to make sure she eats, trading paper work, getting evidence updates. I usually am only at the Hoover for interrogations and paper work," Booth said thoughtfully.

"So why don't you have an office here?"  
"If I need to do anything like that I use Bones office."

"I think I'll put in an application at the FBI. Only thing I would be doing at home is flipping burgers or working security," James told him with a frown. Booth nodded.  
"Tell you what I will let you know when a good time is. Right now is not a good time but when it is I'll put in a good word for you." James nodded his thanks.

The lab was starting to slow down and they heard the air pumps blowing up the mattresses.  
"Looks like it's time to hit the sack," Booth nodded. He had noticed Brennan starting to nod off.

"Come on Bones I'll go set the bed up," Booth coaxed. James raised his brows and Booth glared. James snickered.  
"Pretty good partners aren't you?"

"We're the best," Brennan mumbled and Booth laughed. He went down to her office with Brennan shuffling behind and James following her. He went in and filled the air mattress while she went and changed into her pajamas. When she got back, James was laying on the couch covered up. Booth was on the air mattress and she crawled in next to him. Then she curled up next to him with her head on his shoulder.

She fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.  
"So what are the odds if I worked for the FBI I would get a partner like her," James asked curiously.

"One in a million," Booth said softly with a grin.

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews guys I really appreciate them. I also appreciate the readers putting me on favorites and alerts! Two more chapters to go.**


	14. Hollow Points

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it. Not making money. Not trying to infringe on anyone's copy rights.

* * *

_"So what are the odds if I worked for the FBI I would get a partner like her," James asked curiously._

_"One in a million," Booth said softly with a grin_

* * *

James laughed quietly as his answer. They fell asleep to the quiet hum of the machinery in the lab. Brennan shot straight up in the bed gasping for air and sweating. Booth sat up and pulled her to him wrapping his arms around her. She hugged him and let out a sigh. When her breath slowed down, she got up and left the office. Booth got up and stuck his head out the door. She was headed to lab 2, shaking his head he crawled back on the mattress.

"Is she okay?" He heard James ask. Swallowing Booth answered,  
"Yeah nightmares, she went to work and she will be there until morning."

"She have them often?" Booth sighed and answered.  
"Most of us that work here do. A lot of bad things have happened with the squints since I've worked with them. They've been buried alive, shot at, had to put names and faces on children. It's not a pretty job. So if you re thinking about working in this field just remember that. And also remember if you work with them, they become like family. They're very protective of you and you become very protective of them."

He heard James chuckle.  
"Now go to sleep James," Booth muttered. Minutes later he heard James start to snore softly. Rolling over Booth went back to sleep.

The alarm went off at six and Booth jerked awake to 3 Doors Down. James sprang off the couch as if someone had shot at him. Booth laughed and went over to Brennan's closet. He pulled out her emergency towel. He tossed it at James and handed him other showering supplies.

"There's a decontamination shower in lab 4, wear pants there and clothes out. Otherwise, the single women will drool all over you."  
James laughed and headed to the showers. As he passed the platform, he noticed Brennan leaning over a set of bones. He showered and passed Booth on the way handing him his shower supplies back.

"Coffee is in the lounge," Booth told him as he stepped into lab 4. When Booth came out Brennan was still on the platform. He headed up to the lounge with her cup and his. He poured coffee and nodded his head. James followed him down to the platform and goggled at what Brennan was doing. Booth handed her the cup of coffee. She smiled and took a sip. Booth pulled up a stool to watch and James pulled on up next to him.

"Is she putting that part of the skull back together?" Booth grinned at him with a,  
"Yep." They watched her until she was finished. She let the glue set for a few minutes sipping her coffee.

"This is the exit wound," she stated pointing at a hole in the skull. Booth groaned and rubbed his head. James just watched quizzically.  
"Mr. Fisher after you have finished your breakfast please take a casting of this fracture on the cranium and make sure to measure it as well."

"Yes, Dr. Brennan," Fisher mumbled.  
"I'm sorry James but we are unable to discuss an ongoing murder investigation," Brennan told him and he nodded in understanding.

Getting up she walked to her office and sifted through the pictures they had. Picking up the two, she was looking for she carried them out to Booth.  
"I need you to retrieve the second bullet. It's either here or here," she marked the pictures with a wax pencil.

"Make sure you take pictures before you pick it up. And take a full frame photo if it is not in this photo. Mark with this pencil if it is in these photos." Booth nodded took the red wax pencil, camera and walked around picking up an evidence bag and gloves.  
"Shouldn't one of the squints be doing this?"

"Okay fine I'll go. I'll go get my bag," she grumbled as she walked to the platform and grabbed her bag. She walked up to Hodgins and asked for his keys. He nodded and handed them to her. She walked to the door and followed Booth and James to the door. They stopped when they heard.

"Dad! Bones! Where are you going? Can I go?"  
"No bub I'm sorry you need to stay here. Okay? We will be back in a little bit okay?" Parker nodded and waved bye as they walked out the door.

They headed into the parking garage when Booth said,  
"Do not touch the vehicle until she unlocks it James. Trust me it's a shocking experience."

"Whatever you say Booth," James grinned. They walked up to the escalade and James whistled.  
"You squints make a lot of money don't you?"

"This is not my vehicle James this belongs to Hodgins and he has money he inherited," Brennan explained.  
"He inherited enough to get this?" James asked with a frown.

"Hodgins is what Angela calls a gazillionare," Booth laughed out.  
"Seriously?" Booth and Brennan nodded and walked up to the vehicle.

Brennan unlocked the door and Booth took the keys from him. They climbed in and the gps screen flipped out from the dash.  
"Holy crap," James sputtered out. The gps lit up and Brennan hit the number to call Angela.

"Hello?"  
"Thanks for the gps upload Angela," Booth said.

"No problem. Be careful out there," She hung up the phone and they started driving.  
"Where can we drop you James?" He told them to drop him at a hotel.

After dropping, him off they headed to the scene. Brennan looked around where the picture was taken. She found the bullet in another spot on the wall. Taking the pictures first, she pulled on her gloves and removed the bullet from the windowsill of the restaurant. Turning around she took shots of the buildings on the other side of the street.

Nodding they climbed into the vehicle and when their seat belts were on they pulled into traffic when something hit the window on Brennan's side of the window she ducked in towards Booth. Booth hit the gas and pulled quickly away from the scene. The window was shattered but not broken.

"Bones are you okay? Bones answer me," Booth said frantically.  
"I'm fine. Let's just get back to the lab," she shuddered.

They arrived at the lab in less than ten minutes. They ran through the halls into the lab. The door closed behind them. Everyone stopped to stare. Booth jogged across the lab to Angela's office and snatched up the phone. He placed a call to Cullen and started spitting out information. Angela gasped and pressed in something on her pad. A set of numbers popped up on the angelator. She pointed and mouthed gps location.

Booth shared the information. They finished their conversation and he bolted back out to Brennan. She was sitting on the steps leading up to the lounge. He squatted down in front of her and cupped her face in his hand.

She tilted her head into his hand and smiled.  
"I'm fine," she whispered.

They startled apart at a banging on the door. Looking up they saw several agents in black fatigues and shirts. Booth walked up to the door and pushed the button.  
"Can I help you?"

The guy in front flipped out his badge.  
"Federal ATF Agent Latrell. We are confiscating everything on this property per directive of FBI Deputy Director Cullen."

Booth raised his eyebrow and flipped out his own badge.  
"Special Agent Seeley Booth of the FBI and no you are not confiscating anything. This investigation is not in your jurisdiction it is in mine. Not only that this is considered private property so without a warrant you will be unable to seize anything."

"This building is federally funded," Latrell argued. Hodgins grinned and stepped up behind Booth carrying a piece of paper with him.  
"This building is only ten percent federally funded. I fund 75% therefore I am controlling contributor and this property belongs to me. I am not authorizing your entry. You are breaking and entering. If you do not leave I will have you arrested," Hodgins said with a grin.

Booth started chuckling.  
"You tell him bug-man," Parker told him seriously.

"Bub go back to Angela's office now," Booth told him sternly Parker walked away slowly.  
"You are holding evidence in a federal investigation and are hereby ordered to turn it over," Latrell barked out.

Brennan walked quickly to her office and came back carrying a piece of paper. Walking up to the glass she put it up to the glass so he could read it and gritted out,  
"Per our contract with the FBI this is a teaching institution as such the materials become ours for the duration of the examination. The evidence is returned when the investigation is completed. We have not completed the investigation therefore the evidence still belongs to us. Now if you would like to continue I can call in Homeland security to settle this issue."

She raised her eyebrow at him. Booth leaned against the wall and snickered.  
"I'd do what she says Agent. She knows General Carter I wouldn't be surprised if someone in homeland security doesn't owe her a favor," Booth suggested with his charming smile.

"We will be back to settle this Agent Booth," Latrell snarled.  
Booth waved as they walked off turning around he had Angela re route the telephone lines and made another call to Cullen.

After finishing the phone call he walked out into the hallway and yelled,  
"Bones office now." Brennan came into her office and glared at him.

"You don't have to yell Booth my hearing is just fine."  
"Needed you in here quick. We have a meeting with Cullen dealing with this situation. I need you to have copies of those papers to take with you. I'll go explain to Hodgins about his window and petition Cullen to replace it."

Brennan walked to Cam's office and updated her on what was happening. She got copies of all the information pertaining to the Jeffersonian and the FBI. She walked back to her office carrying the appropriate files. She came in and Booth was pacing. He had four files stacked on the coffee table. She set the paper work down on the desk and walked back into the lab.

Walking around she gathered up all of the information of the evidence that had been compiled and walked back to her office. She sat down behind her desk and watched Booth pace.

"We have evidence that Agent Braxton and Agent Brown both had self inflicted injuries and neither of them had Ativan in their systems. We know that only someone with jump experience survived the plane crash. We also know that the shootings in the street involved three guns two glock 21's and rifle using .338 Lapua Magnum round."

Booth spun around and shouted.  
"WHAT!"

She leveled a stare at him and he ran his hand through his hair.  
"Sorry sorry. I'll be right back." He walked over to Angela's office and she sat and began to fill out evidence forms. He strode back in and threw papers down on her desk.

She picked them up and scanned them. She set them with the rest. She walked over to Angela's office and a few minutes later, she came back. She dropped the sheets on her desk where he was now sitting.

"We now have proof that the gun that killed driver in the first van belonged to Agent Lamare who has been deceased since 1993. The driver of the second van was killed by the gun registered to Agent Zachary who has been deceased since 1996. Where do Agent's guns go when they are deceased?"

"They go back to the office that they report to. The guns are kept out of commission so that if they are fired the evidence doesn't usually cross over into cases after the death of the agent."  
"Logically then it would be someone from those offices." Booth nodded and pulled out the stack of files and sifted through them and sure enough, Braxton and Brown were from the same offices.

"Okay Cam is running the DNA off the ropes and that should be done by morning. We have a copy of the original passenger list that was signed off on so that person is suspect as well." Booth nodded and sighed as he calmed down he began to think.

"Those weapons are usually military issued. However, they are confiscated from raids on gun sellers who sell to the Mexican drug cartel. This would mean that someone from the ATF is involved in the Mexican drug cartel. That would be Agent Brown. But how does Agent Braxton fit in. Maybe he is in it for money. So now we need to know about the shootings but I don't want you going into the field to look for evidence. I need Angela to run something through the simulator."

Brennan nodded and pointed to the doorway and after he left, she went back to paper work. He walked back in and started picking things up. She stood up and grabbed her bag.  
"You are not going Bones you need to stay here. You almost got shot last time," Booth said with gritted teeth. She rolled her eyes.

"So we go by the Hoover and get some bullet proof vests," she offered. They stopped when they heard a knock on the door. The door opened and Rebecca stuck her head in.  
"Can I speak with you two?" Booth nodded and gestured her in.

"Is this thing between you two serious? Parker is very attached to you Temperance and I don't want his heart broken." Brennan looked at her and cocked her head.  
"I care for Parker and whether or not Booth and I stay together that will not change. If something should happen that Booth and I are not together romantically then he and I will still be partners and friends."

Rebecca rolled her eyes at her naivety. Brennan crossed her arms and glared. Booth stepped up behind Brennan and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.  
"Rebecca the only thing that has changed about our relationship is making love and kissing. That is the only thing that has changed. Like Bones said nothing else will change."

Rebecca looked him in the eye, staring for a moment she nodded.  
"I wish you guys the best of luck. You are one lucky girl Temperance I hope you know that. "

"I do." Brennan smiled at Rebecca and put her hand up on Booth's arm. Rebecca left the room and they returned to their conversation.  
"So why are we not just getting the vests?" She asked.

"Because .338 lapua mag shot is armor penetrating ammo. Otherwise known as cop killers," Booth pointed out in a frantic tone.  
"You re going out why can't I?" Booth sighed he knew he was losing this one and he really did not want to.

"Fine Fine but I'm going to be on guard and if I say get down I mean drop flat instantly you understand." She nodded at him and grabbed her bag. They left swiftly and quietly loading up into the escalade and driving to the Hoover to pick up the vests. They then drove back to where they collected the bullet from the wall. Booth scanned the rooftops in the direction they had figured on the angelator.

Using a fire escape the climbed to the roof and walked far enough from the edge that they couldn't be seen from the street but close enough to see the edge. They were right about where the shot lined up when she saw a glint. Walking forward she crouched down.

"Lotto!" she called out and Booth laughed.  
"Jackpot Bones Jackpot. What did you find?"

"A shell casing," she told him, snapping on her gloves and pulled out the evidence bag. Picking up the casing, she placed it in the bag. Scribbling the label on it she stood up, next thing she knew she was flat on the ground and Booth was on top of her. They heard the shot ring out, she grunted when the bullet struck her side.

He pushed off her quickly stood up and started firing. He shot four times and the fifth one made his target stumble but it kept moving.  
"Um ouch," she grunted.

"Bones did you get hit?"  
"Yes I did but there's no bleeding. But there is a bullet," she said grinning and stood up.

"Let s go see what he left on the other building." They clambered slowly and carefully down the fire escape and quickly crossed the road.

They climbed the fire escape on the building across the street. Scanning the top of the building, they saw it left laying there at the top of the fire escape by their feet. Pulling out a large evidence bag Brennan snapped on her gloves picked up the gun and labeled it.

"Did you hit him Booth? What am I saying of course you hit him. Where was he when you hit him?" Booth strode over to the spot where he saw his target stumble. She pulled out her glasses and flashlight. Booth dug in her bag, pulled out his glasses, and started scanning with her.

"There," he said pointing about two feet in front of them. Stooping down she pulled out a swab applicator and swabbed up the blood, taking several samples she dropped them in the evidence tubes and labeled them.  
"Okay let s go back to the lab. My ribs hurt and it is hard to breath."

She wrapped her arm around her chest. Booth picked up her bag and guided her to the fire escape. As they reached the escalade, he opened her door and stopped her.  
"This is going to hurt baby I'm sorry," Booth said gently as he helped her peel of the bulletproof vest.

"Don't call me baby," She gasped out as he pulled it off her. Climbing into the escalade, they headed back to the lab. Booth glanced out of the corner of his eye and winced at the bruise he saw creeping up from under the arm of her tank top. Arriving at the lab Booth dropped the bag and evidence by the stairs to the platform.

"Hey Wendell we could use your help over here," Booth called out. Wendell came walking over.  
"I need you to x-ray my ribs Wendell. I believe I have cracked my 3rd and 4th ribs."

Wendell nodded and walked into lab 3 and scooted the stool over to the x-ray and began swinging the x-ray machine around.  
"You know how this is done so sit down and we'll get you done." Brennan sat down gasped and slowly straightened her spine. Grinding her teeth together she sat perfectly still while he took the x-rays.

"I think I'm just going to sit here until they're done. More than likely we're going to have to tape me," she said gritting her teeth in pain. Booth came to stand by her. Putting his hand on her back, he pushed just enough to help her keep her back straight. A few minutes of waiting and Wendell came back. Shoving the x-ray up into the light they looked and sure enough ribs three and four were cracked but not broken.

Brennan sighed and held her arms up. Wendell stepped forward and gently lifted her shirt up. Booth growled and she rolled her eyes.  
"Booth spin me around and unhook my bra please," she requested.

"What? No! I don't think so," he argued.  
"Just do it he has to tape my ribs. I have to put my arms up anyway. Just do it," she snarled slightly.

"I don't like this," Booth growled.  
"Booth this is completely non-sexual in nature. If I don't tape her ribs they could heal incorrectly and she would have problems breathing," Wendell said clinically. Booth nodded but glared at him anyway.

"Inhale and hold it Dr. Brennan." She drew in a deep breath and held it. Wendell started taping; he made sure to be careful around the dark red area that was going to be a nasty bruise the next morning.  
"Exhale." She exhaled took a couple of shallow breaths, she nodded at Wendell and drew in another deep breath and held it.

Wendell finished his taping, stepped back, and nodded. He walked off to let Booth help her get dressed. She held her arms up wincing in pain. Booth pulled her tank top down over her.  
"Come on lets go to your office, you can lay down on the couch." She nodded and stopped halfway across the lab.

"Hodgins," she croaked out.  
"Hey Hodgins over here," Booth waved him down off the platform.

"Hey what's up?"  
"Bullet in vest, check for match," Brennan whispered.

"Dr. B what happened?"  
"She was shot and the vest stopped the bullet but cracked her ribs. She was lucky those are hollow points meant to go through vests," Booth explained.

"I'm on it. We'll start processing this stuff immediately," Hodgins promised. Brennan walked slowly to her office. She sat on the couch and leaned against the arm Booth gently pushed her forward and put pillows behind her back to prop her up.

"Bring me my clipboard and paper work please," she asked. He shook his head no. She slid her legs off the couch and started to stand when he pushed her back down.  
"Fine Fine. I'll bring your paper work," he grumbled as he brought her the clipboard and pen. He pushed the coffee table up to the edge of the couch effectively blocking her in and giving her somewhere to put her paper work.

She was filling out evidence sheets and logging evidence placing color codes next to it. She picked up a sheet and noticed it was the passenger-loading list. She glanced at the bottom.  
"Hey Booth the signature of the person who approved the load list for the plane was Agent Latrell." Booth stood up, walked over to her, she handed him the paper, and he took it back to his desk and scanned it.

He got up and left the room to make a phone call. She leaned over and pushed the table out just enough for her to squeeze her feet onto the floor. Using the arm of the couch, she stood up. Using her knees, she pushed the table out and slipped carefully around it. Going to her desk, she picked up the evidence folder and started up her word processor. Going through each piece, she typed up the findings in both scientific language as well as lay language.

Booth glanced up and frowned at her. She continued to type for another four hours.

Picking up what she had printed she began shuffling and putting them in order. Getting up she walked to Cam's office and dropped the papers in the auto copy feed. Hitting the copy button, she walked out and up to the lounge. Her cup was down on the forensics platform. She turned around and walked down to the platform. She swiped her card and hobbled to her cup, picking it up she turned around and left the platform.

"Think she'll ask for help?" Wendell asked.  
"You've been working here how long? You've known her how long? Man sheesh," Hodgins snorted out.

Reaching the top of the stairs, she poured herself a cup of coffee and another for Booth. Going carefully and slowly she made her way back to Cam's office. Setting the cups down she picked up the copies and originals then tucked them in her arm against her chest. Picking up the coffee, she made her way back to her office. She set her coffee down then walked to Booths desk and dropped his coffee on the desk.

Taking the paper work out she handed him the copies she made. She picked up the files on his desk and snagged the one in his hands.  
"Bones what are you doing?"

"Taking a page from Hodgins binder. If there is some sort of conspiracy going on in the FBI having more than one copies of the files is a good idea," she explained.  
"Hodgins book Bones his book." He called after her as she hobbled out of her office and ran smack into Angela. Brennan yelped and stepped back quickly.

"Oh sweetie I'm sorry. Jack just told me. Are you okay?" Brennan gave her a half smile.  
"Yeah Ange I'm okay thanks. I need to get this stuff copied. I'll be back to my office in a few minutes."

"Wait before you go Cullen just sent this to me." Angela handed her a sheet of paper. She made her way back to Cam's office and was making copies of the files when Cam walked in.  
"I have those test results from the rope for you here. Angela has the fingerprints from the gun and all the cartridges. She'll get them to you soon. Mr. Nigel-Murray is comparing the bullets to see if they have a matching scoring pattern and should have you that information in the next hour or so."

"Thank you Dr. Saroyan." Cam handed her the DNA profiles which she put on top of the pile of copies being made. The copier finished and she picked up all the paper work and went back to her office. She dropped her copies on the desk and his on his desk. He closed the office door pulled down the air mattress from where it was leaned against the wall. Spreading the sheet over it, he refilled it with air.

When that was done, he closed the blinds to her office. Then he took her by the waist and guided her to the bed.  
"Lift your arms." She did what he told her to and he pulled her shirt off. Unbuttoning and unzipping her pants, he pulled them down.

"Step out." She stepped out of her jeans. He grabbed her sleeping pants and put them on her using commands. He gently pushed her towards the bed and she climbed in. He turned off all the lights except the one on her desk and sat at her desk to work. Half an hour later he heard her breathing even out and he knew she was asleep. As he was sifting through the stack, he found a note tucked in on the first page.

* * *

**From the Desk of: Dr. Temperance Brennan Forensic Anthropologist PHD **  
**Date: June 19, 2011 **  
**RE: Evidence concerning the case of the death of Federal Agents **

**If anything should happen to any of the contributing PHDs during the course of this investigation. These are the findings of Dr. Temperance Brennan PHD, Dr. Camille Saroyan PHD, Dr. Jack Hodgins PHD, Dr. Wendell Bray PHD, Dr. Clark Edison PHD, Dr. Arastoo Vaziri PHD, Dr. Lance Sweets PHD, contributing BA Angela Montenegro-Hodgins and contributing lab assistants Mr. Colin Fisher and Mr. Vincent Nigel-Murray.**  
**In addition, aiding in the investigation at the Jeffersonian is Special Agent Seeley J. Booth. The following documents are the evidence gathered and examined at the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal lab week starting June 10, 2011. The evidence herein has been examined and results determined by the above listed PHD's their accreditations can be found at the Jeffersonian Institute. As scientists, we have included test results and graphic taken from the evidence to substantiate our findings. We have included scientific notation as well as lay terms for submission of evidence.**

**Dr. Temperance Brennan PHD**

* * *

Booth smiled at her determination that the evidence that they had collected be understood in no uncertain terms nor be questioned. He arranged the evidence into his stacks of paper work putting little post it note tabs where signatures were needed. He heard the door open and Angela stuck her head in and whispered.

"Dinner is here and Cullen wants you to call him."  
"Thanks Angela I'll be there in a minute."

Booth quietly left Brennan sleeping and walked over to Angela's office he called Cullen and spoke with him briefly. After hanging up he went and sat down with everyone to eat dinner. Half the lab did not know what had happened so Booth explained briefly and left it at that. He ate his dinner and started piecing the evidence together.

Everyone talked around him and he continued with his silent thoughts.  
"Well Agent Booth it would seem you re at a loss without Dr. Brennan here," sneered a graduate student.

Booth ignored him and continued to roll the facts over in his mind.  
"Hey John you ever heard about poking angry bears with sticks," Wendell shot out.

"He's thinking," Cam and Rebecca said at the same time then started laughing. Booth jerked to attention when they started laughing.  
"This can't be good if the two of you are laughing because the only thing you have in common is me," Booth grumbled.

Everyone at the table burst into laughter. He nodded his head and stood up fixed Brennan a plate. Carrying it back to the office, he sat down and continued shuffling his paper work. The door opened and Parker's head popped in. Booth put his finger to his lips and gestured Parker in. Parker crept passed the bed and climbed into Booth's lap.

"Is Bones sick dad?"  
"She got hurt today and doesn't feel good."

"Shouldn't she be at the hospital?"  
"You don't always have to go to the hospital bub." Parker nodded solemnly.

Booth continued filling out paper work tracing evidence and Parker sat in his lap drawing on a piece of paper. She didn't wake up at all, so Booth took Parker and tucked him into bed. After coming back to the office, he stripped down and crawled into the opposite side of the bed from where he was used to sleeping and laid down.

He lay on his back taking deep even breaths trying to calm down. He had been a bundle of nerves since she had been shot.  
She scooted in her sleep up next to him and sighed. He fell asleep a few minutes later.

* * *

**Reviews are always welcome! We're drawing near to the end so hang with me.**


	15. Going Home

Disclaimer: I don't own it or anything else for that matter.  
**Thanks for the reviews guys I really love them!**

* * *

The computer went off the next morning to an annoying English accent saying.  
"You know what I find works with slayers. Killing them."

Rolling his eyes, he wondered which grad student watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He felt her shift and gasp in pain the air mattress had deflated a little and she was jammed almost underneath him.  
"Stay still. Let me get up first and then I'll help you get up."

She nodded against his side. He carefully rolled off the mattress and tried to figure out how to get her up best with as little pain as possible. Finally, he just bent over, scooped her up, and stood her up. She gave him a half smile. He groaned in sympathy when he saw the bruise. Catching his finger in the elastic of her pajama pants, he tugged it down to see how far it went.

He groaned again, when he saw it went past her hip. It was black and purple with spots of white dotted throughout, it started under her armpit and traveled all the way down past her hip and wrapped her rib cage from front to back on one side. She gave him another half smiled and picked up her shower items and headed to take a shower. She heard a knock on the door when she was stepping out of the shower.

"Occupied," She said.  
"I know Dr. Brennan. I need to see that bruise Booth said it is rather large," Cam said.

She heard a sigh and the door unlocked. Stepping in she found Brennan standing there in her bra and panties. Cam let out a low whistle at the sight of the bruise.  
"It looks like a regular bruise but I want to know if it doesn't change color or starts spreading while it's this color okay?"

"Yes I got it," Brennan replied. Cam smiled and left her to get dressed.  
"She's fine Booth it's a bruise let it heal," Cam said as she walked by him waiting outside the door.

Having been resigned to desk duty every two hours for an hour was the compromised that was reached. Sitting at her desk, she typed up a proposal for Cullen. Offering several suggestions after finishing the proposal, she signed it and put on the stack of papers to be submitted to Cullen. Booth walked into the office and Brennan looked up at him.

"I just called Cullen to see if he could check on Zachary and Lamare's guns. He told me if they were there they would be here today no later than 2 and its 10 now."  
Brennan nodded. Booth sat down at the desk he was using. Angela came in a few minutes practically bouncing. She put the papers on the desk and waited.

Booth looked up, picked up the paper work, and scanned it.  
As they were eating lunch, they heard a knock on the door. Booth got up and walked into the lab. He spoke with a delivery person for a few minutes. Signed for a package and dropped it on Hodgins desk.

Walking back into limbo, he told Hodgins,  
"Two guns on your desk I need you to process please." Hodgins nodded and finished his lunch quickly.

Two hours later found the evidence processed and in Booth's hands.  
"Come on Bones lets round up the crew and get everything together. Not only do we have our suspects but if I'm right you guys have evidence linking them to it."

He walked quickly out the door with Brennan following behind.  
"Squint squad lounge now!" Booth bellowed out.

Cam looked at Brennan who just shrugged. They made their way to the lounge. They sat down and Booth looked around rolling his eyes he walked to the edge and looked down at platform.

"Wendell, Clark get up here sheesh I did say squint squad didn't I?" They looked up in surprise and smiled at being included.

Booth turned around looked at everyone sitting there.  
"Okay so let s make sure we have all the evidence pointing in the same direction."

"The evidence does not point it just is, Booth," Brennan glared. Booth rolled his eyes.  
"I mean that there aren't two different pieces pointing at two different things. Okay," he sighed out. They nodded in understanding.

"So we have two culprits Agent Brown and Agent Braxton. Both have wounds that could only be self-inflicted. Braxton was prescribed ativan. The drivers were shot and the front passenger seats were chloroformed to death. The ativan was distributed through coffee. All of them remember drinking coffee but nothing after that. We have Agent Braxton's fingerprints on Agent Zachary's gun and Agent Brown's on Agent Lamare's gun. Is that everything in the vans at this moment?"

They all nodded although they were processing they knew that currently that was what they had.  
"Okay plane crash, we have a forged passenger list. We have Bolivar and Agent Latrell's finger prints and Latrell's DNA on the evidence from the plane."

Everyone nodded.  
"Alright shooting in the street," Booth swallowed hard and his eyes shot to Brennan. She gave him a smile and gave him reassurance through her eyes.

"We have Bolivar's prints on the gun, casings, and all of the .338 Lapua Mag bullet striations match the gun? A glock21 was used to shoot Agent Olivas as well as Agent Duff. Each also had a Mag in them? The Mag was killing shot for Olivas and the glock for Duff. Have I missed anything? No good let's go Bones we're off to talk to an Agent at a hotel then we're off to Hoover."

He got up and walked off. She stood up and faced everyone.  
"Thanks for everything. I know we're not done but we could not have done this without you."

She turned around and followed him slowly down the steps. Booth headed to Angela's office to make a quick call. Returning to her office, she changed in to a Carolina blue empire waisted tank top the split on both sides under the bust line that ruffled enough that the split was only noticeable when she walked. A black broomstick skirt and wedges that matched her shirt completed the outfit.

Striding across the lab, she met Booth at the door. Nodding they left and headed out for the first interrogation. They spoke with a person who identified himself at homeland security and showed his I.D. He turned over a paper that had the seal of Homeland Security stamp as well as airport security stamp. Since the plane was carrying evidence of a federal investigation, everything and everyone on that plane had to be logged by homeland security.

Thanking him they left and went to the Hoover building, they took the elevator up to Booth's office carrying evidence files. The agents in the bullpen began clapping. Booth and Brennan looked around raising their eyebrows. They were walking towards Booth's office when Agent Brown stopped them.

"Who do you think you are putting me on your questioning list?"  
"Booothhh why do we have to go through this every time we come to your office," Brennan whined at him. He smiled at her.

"Because baby I don't work with geniuses here." They heard sniggers erupt around them.  
"You aren't so hot stuff without his gun aren't you bitch." She sighed heavily and Booth stepped over to Charlie's desk.

"What are her odds?"  
"Not very good we have a bunch of new agents from Quantico and Houston that haven't met Dr. Brennan yet. They are 15 to 1 against."

Whistling low, he let out a chuckle and flipped his poker chip.  
"Guaranteed money I can't pass that up," he smirked as he turned over fifty bucks on her.

"That's a lot of cash Booth," Charlie said with a raised eyebrow.  
"Yeah but it's a guaranteed thing," Booth smirked. He turned around when he heard his name called out.

"Booth, you re not gambling are you?"  
"Not at all Bones, not at all," he replied with a smile. She glared over at him and he grinned.

"It's only gambling if there's a chance you re going to lose," he said loudly. Rookies hooted in laughter at him, he winked at her.  
"Don't hurt yourself Bones. I don't want to have to take you to the hospital okay?"

"I think I can handle this Booth but I love you too," she flashed him a grin and agents whooped. Booth leaned against the cubicle. Brennan turned back to face Agent Brown.  
"Agent Brown, I really do not like you so I will ask you politely to move out of my way. I don't want to have to hurt you," Brennan said firmly.

Rookies egged him on from their desks. Cullen came out at all the noise. He walked quietly up and stood next to Booth.  
"Is she going to kill him?"

"No sir," Booth said with a smile.  
"Is she going to hurt him?"

"If he doesn't step aside or he touches her most definitely," he smirked out.  
"Good I hope she breaks something, he's an ass," Cullen muttered and Booth laughed under his breath.

"Bitch what makes you think you have any authority here?" She shot him an icy stare.  
"So you plan on taking the less than intelligent route then?"

"What did you just say to me? Did you just call me stupid?" He asked getting in her face. Booth sucked in a breath and said in an audibly low tone,  
"I woulllldddnnn'ttt do that if I were you."

"I called you stupid," She gritted out.  
Brown glared at him, took a step toward her, and reached out as if he would grab her neck. She grabbed his hand, twisted his wrist, and elbow almost 180 degrees. She swept her feet behind his knees and pulled forward.

As he fell everyone heard his shoulder dislocate and his elbow crunch. He went over backwards screaming in pain. She planted her wedge on his collarbone and ground her foot in at the sound of the crack of the bone she lessened the pressure. Leaning over she got in his face.

"You better hope someone has enough sympathy to call an ambulance because you re going to need one. Using her foot on his collarbone, she stepped over him. She heard a collective gasp when her side briefly appeared. Glancing down she realized you could see the black and purple bruise.

"What you've never been shot before?" She asked irritably with a grimace at the twinge in her side.  
"Ladies and gentlemen just arriving from Quantico meet Dr. Temperance Brennan. You now owe her partner some cash so pay up," Charlie called out.

They heard muttering as Booth led Brennan to his office. Walking down the hall, he found the instant ice pack and snapped it to life. Walking back, he knelt beside her while she sat in his chair. He dug through his drawer and found a face towel he kept for heating packs for his back. Wrapping the ice pack, he placed against her taping.

Cullen tapped on the door.  
"I'll give you about five minutes then we start interrogating and arresting," Cullen stated. Booth looked up and nodded.

They heard the ambulance crew arrive sighing she stood up and shooed him towards interrogations. Following they heard the heard a medic say.  
"Dang someone tore him up."

"It was a girl," sputtered out a rookie.  
"Oh no gentleman she's all woman," Booth corrected.

Agent Brown began cursing at her, yelling how he would get her back. She walked up to the edge of the gurney.  
"Do you honestly think I haven't heard that before?" Glaring at him, she began spitting out Mandarin at him.

One of the Agents from the back called out,  
"You kiss your mother with that mouth."

Looking up she glared at him and said  
"No but I kissed yours," she told him then walked off to interrogation.

Booth stood with his mouth hanging open. Starting across the bullpen he turned around with his arms out stretched the evidence file in one hand. Smiling he said again,  
"All woman."

Turning back around he went down the hall. He entered the surveillance room. He found Cullen and Brennan standing there.  
"Bones where on earth did you learn that phrase?"

"Angela," was all she said. Cullen looked at the pair and said,  
"Well Brown was just put under arrest so that's one less person we have to interrogate. That leaves Braxton and Latrell. Dr. Brennan has requested to stay here with Dr. Sweets and I accompany you." Booth nodded and looked around for Sweets.

"Dr. Sweets should be right back." Booth nodded again. Agent Braxton was pacing back and forth in interrogation room. They watched until Sweets came back. Cullen and Booth entered the room.  
"Agent Braxton. We are going to offer you a chance to bargain. If you tell us where Bolivar Fuentes is we may be able to work something with the prosecutor. I'm not saying that you will go free but you will get 10 maybe 20 years shaved off your sentence."

Agent Braxton looked at them.  
"Even if I had done something which I haven't I wouldn't be stupid enough to be caught. And even if I did get caught, you don't have the clearance to arrest me. You'd have at least a warrant from a three star general."

Booth stood up and glanced at the mirror. Leaning against the wall he watched as Braxton toyed with his watch turning it in a repetitive motion.  
"Ghee that's awfully funny. We have your fingers on Agent Zachary's gun who has been deceased since 1996. That exact gun was used to execute the driver of the first van. So that puts you at two counts of murder, seven counts of illegal uses of a controlled substance at least but knowing Ms. Julianne there will be more. Oh and the scientists at the Jeffersonian are processing even more evidence so if I were you. I would give up Bolivar. How is it you know Bolivar anyway?"

"I don't know where Bolivar is, that is all Latrell. I knew Latrell from Quantico he used to be FBI. But none of that matters you cannot get a warrant to arrest me," He said looking smug.  
Booth paused and cocked his head as if he was thinking. The Deputy Director shifted waiting for Booth to say something when he heard Dr. Brennan in his ear.

"The fax just came. General Carter signed the warrant five minutes ago. I am holding it in my hand."  
Booth nodded slowly as if he was concluding something, he stood up and walked out. Coming back a minute later, he held the paper up. Grinning at him, he waggled the paper.

"Luke Braxton you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent, you have the right to an attorney if you cannot afford one, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as I have stated them?"

As Booth started to pull him up he tried to struggle but Booth slammed his face on the table. After finishing his Miranda rights, Booth growled in his ear.  
"You helped to kill two of our agents never mind the two you've already killed. No sympathy."

Using Braxton's head, he pushed up off him. He led him to the door and two agents took him down the hall. They went and got some coffee and Brennan another ice pack while waiting for their interrogation with Latrell who was currently under the assumption he had an appointment to discuss the issue at the Jeffersonian. Booth handed Brennan the ice pack and she stuck it against her skin and groaned.

Cullen's eyebrows shot to his hairline when he saw the bruise. He snagged the edge of the split on the side her shirt in two fingers. Pulling it aside, he winced.  
"I usually keep agents that have health issues that big in the hospital Dr. Brennan." She laughed then groaned and pressed the ice pack harder against her skin.

"It is two cracked ribs. I was hit with armor penetrating bullet. It did not penetrate but it did leave a contusion."  
"I'll say. Let's wrap this up so we can send you all home. And if Dr. Hodgins drops his escalade off here we will have his window replaced."

Booth nodded and guiding Brennan with his hand at her back, they went into the rooms they had been in earlier. Agent Latrell came in and Cullen pointed to the chair across from them.  
"Please have a seat Agent Latrell." Latrell sat down and looked around.

"I don't see those people in the lab coats here. Aren't I supposed to be speaking with them?"  
"No you will be speaking with me," Booth tossed out.

"What do you know about Bolivar?"  
"He runs the Dallas chapter of Los Zetas. We have been watching them for years. We recently hit one of his warehouses and recovered several crates of military issued weapons. However we were unable to locate Bolivar himself. What does this have to do with anything?"

Braxton asked with a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead.  
Pulling the rope from his pocket Booth tossed it on the table in front of Braxton.

"Look familiar?"  
"No, Why? Should it?"

"Because it is the rope you used to garrote four men. A pilot named Henry Crandall, a co-pilot named Jake Alonzo, Forensic Agent Madsen and Forensic Agent Whittaker," Booth all but snarled at the man.

"Is this some kind of joke?"  
"No we have evidence right here on this rope as well as a signed report from Homeland Security stating that you were given a passenger and lot load for the plane. Booth pulled out two sheets of paper and asked,

"Is this your signature?" Latrell swallowed and nodded.  
"See this paper shows that you received that document. This paper is the one you received and this is the one you turned into evidence after the plane crash." Booth perched on the edge of the table folder in hand.

"Is that all you have?" Latrell asked in a smug tone. Booth gave him one of those smiles.  
"Oh no Agent Latrell. We have a gun in our possession that has one Bolivar Fuentes fingerprints on it. Now the problem with that is the gun is supposed to be in the ATF evidence warehouse. However, the entire case is missing. Now that was your bust in the first place. Did they give you a lot of money? I hope so because you are going to need a really good lawyer. We'll offer you the same thing we offered Braxton. You may be able to get something from Ms. Julianne if you tell us where Bolivar is," Booth offered.

Latrell looked at them and glared Booth calmly and coldly stared into his eyes. Latrell nodded and proceeded to tell them where Bolivar was.  
"Jonathan Latrell you under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney if you cannot afford one an attorney will be appointed. Do you understand these rights as I have stated them?"

Booth said as he cuffed Latrell. Cullen and Booth left the interrogation room and headed towards his office. He flopped down on his couch next to Brennan and sighed. Cullen sat at Booth's desk and looked across at them.

"I don't expect to see either of you for at least three days. I will be calling Dr. Saroyan to make sure you," he pointed at Brennan "do not come into work."  
"I do not plan on going to work sir. I plan on taking some pain medication and sleeping for the next three days."

"When you get back I will be speaking to the two of you about your proposal Dr. Brennan. It is an excellent idea. I will also be speaking with the board of the Jeffersonian about your other idea." Standing up Cullen left the office.

Brennan rolled her head to look at Booth.  
"Can we go home please?"

"Let s go, lab first then home," he suggested.  
They left the building and drove to the Jeffersonian, which was an absolute madhouse people were scrambling to get out. Booth and Brennan ducked, dodged and weaved to get around people.

"Dad! Bones! We're going home!" Parker yelled excitedly as he ran towards them.  
"I know bub," Booth said reaching down he swung parker up for a hug. Brennan slowly made her way past them towards the office and began packing up their stuff.

"Dad is Bones still sick?"  
"Yeah Parker she hurts a lot right now."

"She should go home and go to sleep," Parker advised.  
"She will, she will. Now go with your mom and I'll see you in two weeks okay."

Parker gave him a hug and a kiss, jumped up, and ran off. Booth walked to Brennan's office and helped her pack everything up. They picked up their stuff and followed Angela and Hodgins out to the escalade. Brennan and Booth climbed into the Sequoia and drove off.

Arriving at her apartment, they climbed the steps. He dropped the bags in her bedroom. Pulling off his shoes, he sat on her couch.  
"Bones you seriously need to get a TV," he grumbled.

She mumbled as she walked past. Dropping the Sequoia keys in his lap,  
"So go get yours."

She made her way to the bathroom her movements slow and stiff. A minute later, he heard the shower start. Grabbing the keys, he went down the block to the grocery store he knew she liked. Grabbing the makings for a vegetarian quesadilla, he paid and went back to her apartment.

When he walked through the door, he heard the shower still running. Glancing at his watch he shrugged he'd only been gone for 15 minutes. He pulled out a cutting board and knife.  
Chopping vegetables and piling them on the side, he wondered what exactly she had proposed to Cullen.

The End

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**_A/N Anyone interested in her proposal? I have it written up already just let me know. Review Review! Thanks for following my story!_**


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